It's Written in the Stars
by sanalayla
Summary: Lois Lane makes a wish on a star... with surprising consequences. Smallville & Superman Returns crossover. CLOIS.
1. Prologue

**Spoilers:** Season 6 & "Superman Returns"

**Disclaimer:** No infringement intended… don't own Clark or Lois…. Wish I did, though.

**Rating:** M (just to be safe)

**Prologue**

**Metropolis, 2008**

"Smallville, could you get a move on? We're going to be late and it's all going to be your fault," Lois said, through clenched teeth, as she turned to glare at the man driving the car.

Clark willed himself to not take the bait, but he couldn't help himself. He shrugged off her complaint and shot her a fake smile. "When is it ever not my fault? Lois, the world could stop spinning and move backwards and you'd figure out a way to blame me."

Lois sighed and turned away, staring sightlessly out the window. They were on their way to meet with a renowned physicist for a class paper. Lois cursed herself, for the umpteenth time, that "L" came after "K" in the alphabet and the professor had assigned partners alphabetically. _Why, oh why, couldn't Lori have been in the freakin' class? Or Lana?_ It took a second for Lois to realize that her name still came before Lang and Lemaris. _Damn it._ Now she was stuck with Clark for the whole semester and destined to be late to every meeting.

Lois continued staring out the window, focusing on the rain hammering against the glass. She ignored the other person in the car, trying to get control of her seething thoughts. There was a part of her that was pretty angry at him for making her wait an hour before picking her up. Another part of her was completely baffled at the _level_ of her anger.

It wasn't like it was the first time he'd promised to do something with her and then bailed at the last minute. At least this time he'd actually shown up – she had been fully expecting him to meet her in class the next day with an apology and sheepish grin, like he'd done so many times before.

Clark glanced over in her direction, a bit taken aback by Lois's uncharacteristic silence and anger. He'd known, of course, that she'd be irritated when he was late to pick her up for the appointment, but he hadn't expected her to be this angry. But what could he do? He couldn't very tell her the truth – that there'd been a fire a few streets down and he'd stopped to help.

Again, he wished he could just tell his friend what was going on, but he knew it wasn't possible – already too many people knew for his peace of mind. He would just have to take her frustration about his lame excuses and try not to get irritated in return. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done when it came to Lois Lane.

They drove on for another twenty minutes and then Clark couldn't take it anymore.

"Lois," Clark's voice broke into the silence that had settled over them in the car. "I said sorry, okay? Are you going to give me the silent treatment the whole way?"

"You know what really gets me, Clark?" Lois responded, in a tart tone. "You never even have a good excuse. I mean, c'mon – you forgot your wallet? We're going to be late for this appointment because you left your wallet at home? If you had better plans and didn't want to do this, all you had to do was tell me - ."

"What do you mean by that?" Clark interrupted, as he pulled into the parking garage of the building in downtown Metropolis. He parked the car, but left the keys in the ignition as he turned to face her. He grabbed her arm to stop her from getting out of the car. "Lois, give me a second. Just because I was late does not mean I don't want to be doing this, okay? Unlike you, I'm glad we're partners in this class. I think we work well together."

Lois ignored the compliment and instead turned back to look at him suspiciously. "Really? Because Lori told me you had to cancel a date with her, you know. She wasn't exactly thrilled about it."

Clark winced. She was right – Lori _hadn't_ been happy about it. Lois wasn't the only one who'd been irritated that they'd been partnered up in the journalism class. Lori thought it was too dangerous for Clark to spend as much time with Lois as he did. While Lori didn't have issues with Chloe knowing his secret, she didn't want to add Lois to the list of people who knew. And she thought that Lois was by far too perceptive and would start making connections on her own soon enough.

Even though he understood what Lori meant, he found that he couldn't _not_ hang out with Lois. Other than the fact that they shared almost the same class schedule, it was impossible to avoid Lois when she was his girlfriend's roommate and his best friend's cousin. Plus, she was fun to be around and a good friend.

"Lori had nothing to do with it," Clark finally said, releasing his hold on Lois's arm. He smiled ruefully. "You know me, Lois. I just forgot my wallet and then got held up in traffic."

Lois paused and looked at him, searching his eyes for a second. She knew he was lying – or rather, not telling her the full truth. But, as usual, she decided to let it slide. She wasn't his girlfriend – he didn't owe her anything. If Clark didn't want to share, he didn't want to share.

"Fine, Smallville," Lois responded abruptly with a sigh. "I'm sorry, too – I over reacted. It just irritates me when we're late for a meeting. I hate being late – must be a military thing." She looked down at her watch. "Look, it's already seven – so, let's just go, okay?"

_Another time, another place…._

**Metropolis, 2019**

"Clark, hurry it up," Lois exclaimed, as she moved into a brisk walk. She pushed through the glass revolving doors, with an impatient look over her shoulder at her partner. Her heels clicked and slid a bit on the polished marble floor as she moved towards the elevator.

"Slow down, Lois!" Clark replied cautiously. He ignored the dirty looks she was shooting his way as he looked down at her impractical footwear with a raised brow.

Lois rolled her eyes and jabbed the elevator button repeatedly. She looked down at her watch. "Great, it's 7:05 –we're late."

Clark pushed his glasses back up and pointed out in a mild tone, "By five minutes. I'm sure it'll be fine."

"You always say that!" Lois shot back and grimaced. "I hate being late."

The elevator doors opened and she quickly got in, grabbing Clark and pulling him in along with her. She looked at the row of buttons and hit the one that took them to the highest floor. They were scheduled to meet a prestigious physicist – one who was going to explain to them the theory of quantum linear molecular displacement – whatever the hell _that_ meant. Lois had every feeling that the scientist was a quack, but she'd interview the guy if it made Perry happy.

Lois glanced back down at her watch with a frown. "I can't believe he's making us meet him at night. This is the third time this week I haven't had dinner with Richard and Jason."

Clark was silent for a minute. When he spoke, his voice was full of regret. "I'm sorry, Lois."

Lois looked at Clark for a second and her gaze softened. He genuinely looked concerned and sad about her ruined dinner plans. Suddenly, she felt absolutely horrible for taking out her frustrations on him. The truth was, she was kind of relieved that the assignment had given her another excuse to avoid Richard. Things had been awkward for them in the past month and she wasn't exactly unhappy the late night interview had popped up.

"It's okay, Clark," Lois said, abruptly. She strode out of the elevator and walked towards the empty lobby, her long raincoat fluttering around her. She turned back to him with a slight smile. "Just next time, make sure you have your wallet, okay?"

Clark's response was cut off by the appearance of a short, squat man, with a purple bowler hat perched on his bald head. He was wearing a dark purple suit, with pale green bowtie. Clark looked him over, trying not to laugh. The man looked ridiculous.

"Miss Lane? Mr. Kent?" The man spoke softly, with a British accent. He graciously shook their hands and murmured, "Thank you for joining me. I apologize for the lateness of the hour, but I did need to make sure you could see the stars, you know."

Lois and Clark exchanged a confused glance and then looked back down at the man before them.


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

**Metropolis, 2008**

"Wow," Lois breathed softly, as she gazed up at the night sky through the glass roof.

Dr. Mxy had led them into his lab, which was housed in a gigantic room on the top floor of the building. The whole roof was made of glass, allowing them to look at the starry night sky above them. Heavy, complicated machines and computers filled one side of the room. A large platform in the center of the room held a large telescope – the largest Lois had ever seen.

The scientist waddled over to the telescope and stroked it lovingly. "This is my special project. It has nothing to do with what we're talking about today, of course. But it's my first love. The project I've worked on for years. Haven't been able to test it, though. At least, not yet."

Lois and Clark exchanged an uncertain look.

Clark cleared his throat. He was beginning to get a bad feeling about this guy. "Listen, Dr. - ." Clark glanced down at his notes and squinted, trying to figure out how to pronounce the name.

"Dr. Mxy," the man said brightly, "pronounced like 'my'."

"Right, well, I'm sure you're really busy. We don't want to take up too much of your time," Clark responded quickly.

"No… no… not at all," Dr. Mxy assured them gaily. "Always happy to help out eager young students. I've got all the time in the world. After all, what is time? A muddled fabric, just waiting to be torn and sewn together again – into brand new clothes."

Lois rolled her eyes. The little man had seemed cute, at first, but now he was starting to give her the creeps. She reached into her bag and pulled out her notebook.

"Dr. Mxy, we appreciate you taking out the time to help us, but we actually do need to wrap this up quickly," Lois said firmly, but with a level of politeness. She couldn't help but shoot a sardonic look at Clark, as she added dryly, "Clark's got a hot date with his hot girlfriend."

Exasperated at her inability to go two seconds without baiting him, Clark shot back, "Yeah, I do. I'm meeting with Lori later on tonight." He turned to the much shorter man, who was watching both of them with an alert stare. "I _would_ appreciate it...my _hot girlfriend_," Clark added sarcastically, with a pointed look at Lois, "would appreciate it, too."

Instead of answering his barb, Lois turned away, focusing her attention on the telescope. She tried to ignore the sharp pain in her heart at his words. _Why did she always do it? Why did she always bring it up, knowing that it was just going to end up hurting her? She was a glutton for punishment. What was wrong with her?_

Ever since Clark had started dating her roommate, she'd been dealing with these weird feelings for him. At first she'd thought it was because she was disappointed that he hadn't dated Chloe after finally getting over Lana. After all, he cousin deserved happiness after all those years of pining. Then, one night, she'd opened the door and seen him on the other side wearing a dark suit. He'd been holding a bouquet of flowers for Lori, with an adorable grin. Suddenly, Lois had realized her disappointment wasn't for her cousin – it was for herself. And the realization was freaking the living daylights out of her and really starting to piss her off.

Taking a moment to compose herself and get rid of the jealous thoughts swirling around her mind, Lois took a deep breath. She could hear Clark speaking in the background, starting the interview without her.

**Metropolis, 2019 **

Lois stared at the telescope sightlessly, vaguely hearing Clark asking the little man questions in the background. 

She just couldn't stop thinking about Richard's last words to her. _How could you have a kid with a guy you don't even know? You don't know anything about him._ And the fact was, he was right. She knew absolutely nothing about Superman. Where did he go in the night when he wasn't working? Did he sleep? Did he eat? Lois frowned, trying to remember if she'd ever seen him eat. 

Setting aside the issues she had to face with dealing with her realization that Richard wasn't Jason's father, she also had to deal with the questions in Richard and Jason's eyes. Every day they looked at her, askance, while she tried to formulate answers out of thin air. For the first time, she was realizing she knew nothing about the man she had loved for so long. And the realization was freaking the living daylights out of her and really starting to piss her off.

"What do you think, Lois?" Clark's quizzical voice interrupted her thoughts.

Startled, she looked back at him. _Oh damn._ She never did this. She never zoned out in the middle of an assignment. Not wanting to admit she'd been lost in personal thoughts, Lois quickly gestured towards the telescope. "Sorry, I was just so fascinated with this – how does it work, anyway?"

Dr. Mxy grinned widely at her words. He half walked and half skipped to the telescope, clambering up the steps to be closer to it.

"It's a beauty, isn't it?" The stout man declared, as he stroked it again with a loving look in his eyes. 

Lois and Clark exchanged another look at the man's odd behavior.

"Why don't you try it out?" The scientist suggested, beckoning to Lois to join him on platform next to the machine.

"I… uh…." Lois cast a sharp look at Clark, who was shaking his head.

Her brow rose, questioning him on his hesitation. He didn't say anything, instead just shaking his head again.

For some reason, his hesitation and typical caution irritated her. Actually, everything was irritating her – she just wanted to get out of there. She was going to look through the guy's stupid telescope and then leave. That way she'd be able to tell Perry that she had, at least, _tried_ to get the story for him. She'd been right – this Dr. Myx guy was a quack.

Lois stomped over the telescope and walked up the steps to the platform, joining the small doctor next to the contraption.

"Here you go… just look through here. Let me know what you see – you should see some spectacular sights," he declared in a happy voice as he helped guide Lois to look through the glass.

"Okay… okay… I get it, it's not rocket science. It's just a telescope," Lois responded flatly, as she adjusted the eyepiece to be able to see through it better.

**Metropolis, 2008**

Lois squinted as she tried to get a better focus on the view in front of her. She didn't know if the telescope warranted the love the professor had for it, but it was pretty awesome. Even through the rain and clouds, she could make out each of the stars clearly. They felt closer than they'd ever been before. 

_Smallville should get a load of this._ She was just about to raise her head to tell Clark to come over and take a look, when Dr. Mxy's voice stopped her.

"If you see a star, make a wish. I'm told that wishes come true when you wish on a star," he said, with a soft whisper.

If Lois hadn't been so busy looking at the vast night sky, she would have rolled her eyes. Did he honestly think she believed in all that supernatural crap? Just then, she heard Clark's cell phone ring and she looked up from the machine.

Clark glanced at the phone in his hand and then shrugged at Lois, mouthing, _Just a minute._

"Hey, honey… yeah… I'm running a little late," Clark said, as he walked away a bit to talk more privately.

But not before Lois saw the look that came over him when he was on the phone. A softer, more tender look. One that she never saw him wear when he was around her.

Lois sighed and glanced down at the telescope. After a moment's hesitation, she put her eye to the piece again and focused on one particular star. The brightest one she could find.

_Okay… I feel like an idiot, but here goes nothing…I wish… I wish Clark would look at me that way._

**Metropolis, 2019**

"If you see a star, make a wish. I'm told that wishes come true when you wish on a star," he said, with a soft whisper.

If Lois hadn't been so busy looking at the vast night sky, she would have rolled her eyes. Did he honestly think she believed in all that supernatural crap? Just then, she heard Clark's cell phone ring and she looked up from the machine.

Clark glanced at the phone in his hand and then shrugged at Lois, mouthing, _Just a minute._

"Hey, Richard… she's not answering? Um… well… we're running a little late," Clark said, as he looked at her with a confused frown.

She avoided his gaze, not wanting Clark to realize that she'd been avoiding Richard's calls. How was she supposed to tell Richard? She was in a love with a man who could fly. And she'd had a kid with him. And she knew nothing about him.

Lois sighed and glanced down at the telescope. After a moment's hesitation, she put her eye to the piece again and focused on one particular star. The brightest one she could find.

_Okay… I feel like an idiot, but here goes nothing…I wish I knew who Superman really was…outside of the suit._

**Metropolis, 2008 & 2019**

Lois wished on the star and, suddenly, the room was filled the sound of thunder and lightening struck through the sky, lighting the whole room for a brief second.

As she looked through the lens, she watched as lightening streaked across the night sky. It was probably just an illusion, but it actually looked like the jagged, bright light cracked her star in half. 

Startled, Lois jerked away from the telescope, her precarious balance on the wooden beams deserting her at the sudden movement. She tried to grasp the machine, but couldn't quite manage it.

Clark turned back towards her, the phone falling from his hand as he registered what was going on.

As she fell to the floor, she could have sworn that Clark was at her side in an instant, but the thought disappeared as she hit the ground and the world went black.


	3. Chapter Two

**Metropolis, 2019**

Lois opened her eyes slowly, wincing at the pain in her head and the sudden bright light. She heard voices talking, in low whispers, but couldn't make out the words. After blinking for a few seconds to adjust her eyes to the harsh fluorescent light streaming down to her, she managed to sit up a bit.

"Sweetheart!" 

"Mommy!"

Lois barely had time to register the owners of the two distinctly different voices – one deep and male, the other childishly high – before a small boy launched himself onto her. The tiny effort she'd put into sitting up was completely obliterated as he buried his tiny face into her shoulders and wrapped his skinny little arms around her.

Almost instinctively, Lois put her own arms around him and squeezed him tight against her body, tenderly stroking his soft hair.

"Whoa… kiddo… let's give your mom some time to recover, okay?" The older person said, as he effortlessly grabbed the little boy and pulled him off of her. 

This time she was able to sit up fully without any hesitation. She looked the tall guy over, trying to place him. She'd never seen him before. Suddenly, Lois frowned, her heartbeat quickening. _Wait. Did he just say "mom"?_

**Metropolis, 2008**

Lois looked around the hospital room, trying to get her bearings. The last thing she remembered was falling off the platform. How'd she get to the hospital?

She raked her fingers through her hair, trying to decide if she should get up and investigate when a young blonde woman burst through the doors. 

"Lois!! Thank God you're awake," she exclaimed, grinning happily at the sight of Lois sitting up.

Lois stiffened as the strange woman threw her arms around her and hugged her tight. The woman didn't notice and just squeezed her tighter. 

She pulled back and searched Lois's face with worry in her deep blue eyes. "We were so scared, 'cuz. I mean, you've been unconscious for days – and it wasn't even that big of a fall." 

Lois frowned, as her heartbeat quickened. _Did that woman just call me "'cuz"? What did the hell does that mean?_

**Metropolis, 2019 **

Lois kept silent as she listened to the two strangers go on and on about how scared they had been for the past few days when she'd been unconscious. From what she'd understood, the boy's name was Jason and the guy's name was Richard. And they each thought she was their mother and fiancée, respectively. Lois didn't say anything in return. She didn't have the words to tell them that she wasn't who they thought she was.

However, every few moments, Lois would pinch her leg to see if it would make her wake up from this nightmare. But all that had succeeded in doing was making her whole right thigh black and blue.

The boy was holding up a piece of art he'd made for her school. She was just about to interrupt the kid's… Jason's… lecture on what the drawing meant when the door flew open. Somewhat relieved by the reprieve from the rapid fire enthusiasm in his little voice, Lois looked towards the door.

She fully expected to see the doctor walk in; instead, she saw the last person she expected and her heart leapt at the sight.

"Clark!" Lois couldn't help but grin as she saw her friend and class partner walk into the room. Obviously, he was here to clear up this huge misunderstanding. She almost jumped off the bed, she was so happy to see him. Then she glanced down at her revealing hospital gown and decided against it.

She settled for giving him a huge smile and declared, with a sigh of relief, "Thank God you're here – what's going on?" 

"Lois," Clark responded evenly, in a cordial and warm tone. "I'm so glad to see you're awake – you gave us quite a scare." As he spoke the cliché words, he somehow managed to bump into the cart holding a tray of food. He quickly grabbed it before it could hit the ground, but couldn't stop the water from spilling on the floor.

Lois's smile faltered as she watched her friend mumble a sheepish apology to Richard – the man delusional enough to think she was his fiancée. Clark didn't even bother to look at her properly, as he bent down to retrieve the plastic water jug.

_What was wrong with him?_ Lois had never seen Clark behave this way and definitely had never seen him ignore her like this.

As he went into to the bathroom, presumably to get some napkins to wipe the mess, Lois finally noticed what he was wearing. A three piece suit, with a tie. And glasses. She studied him when he entered the room again and saw that his hair was much shorter, in a very conservative style and that he looked taller and older. An odd thought crossed her mind, but she immediately dismissed it.

Then she glanced at the little boy and her supposed fiancé. They were watching her with love and worry in their eyes. It was obvious they knew Clark. And Clark wasn't saying anything to disabuse them of the notion that she was this kid's mother.

Suddenly, her throat felt dry and it was hard to swallow. She opened her mouth to ask the insane question forming in her mind. She managed to speak, faltering a bit on the words. "Clark, what's today's date?"

Clark paused in the act of throwing the sodden napkins in the wastebasket. For the first time he focused his sharp gaze directly on her. "It's March 20, 2019. Why?"

Lois did what any rational person would do when they found they'd just traveled eleven years into the future. She fainted.

**Metropolis, 2008**

Lois kept her eyes closed, as she shamelessly eavesdropped on the conversation between the young blonde woman – Chloe Sullivan, as it turned out – and the new person who'd entered the room.

After Chloe's revelation that she thought Lois was her cousin and that they were college students at Met. U. together, Lois had figured feigning sleep was the best way to go. She wasn't sure exactly where she was, but Lois had a feeling she needed time to plot her way out of it.

As she pretended to sleep, she'd heard a man walk into the room and speak to Chloe in low tones. He had a nice voice – it was warm, with a deep timbre and an underlying authority that didn't seem to fade even when he whispered. It sounded vaguely familiar, but she didn't dwell on it, focusing instead on their hushed exchange.

"Chloe," the man said in a low voice, "the guy just disappeared. I mean, he was there one second and then, poof, he was gone."

"Like magic?" Chloe responded, almost in a resigned tone. Amazingly enough, the girl didn't seem at all surprised by the man's words. "What are we going to do? She's acting really weird, Clark. She's trying to hide it, but I can tell she doesn't recognize me."

At the mention of the very familiar name, Lois's eyes snapped open under the covers. She slowly moved the soft sheets away from her eyes as she peered over them to get a look at the man in the room.

Her attempt at subterfuge was futile, however, since he heard the rustling immediately and quickly moved towards the bed.

"Lois? How're you feeling?" Clark asked, in a concerned voice. In one fluid motion, he grabbed a hold of a chair and slid it next to the bed. He sat down and leaned closer to her, looking at her with a worried frown.

Lois sat up, but didn't respond. She took a moment to analyze the man in front of her critically. He looked Clark – but, at the same time, didn't look anything like him. For one, he wasn't wearing glasses and his hair was a lot longer. He wasn't wearing the usual suit. Instead, he was dressed in a simple green t-shirt and jeans, with scuffed brown leather shoes. He looked good. 

It wasn't just the outfit, though, that made him different from her partner. As he stared at her with clear concern in his eyes, she noticed that he had no problem looking at her. In fact, he was analyzing her just as thoroughly as she was him. She didn't think she could ever remember a time that Clark had exuded this level of confidence and… well… the ability to not fall over things. 

Confused, she frowned and looked away. When she glanced back at him, she noticed the one thing that hadn't occurred to her before. He looked younger – a lot younger – than the Clark she was accustomed to seeing at work every day.

Lois cleared her throat, trying to figure out the best way to ask the question. "Um…Clark? Clark Kent?"

The concern in his eyes deepened as the young man leaned even closer to her. "Yeah… it's me. Do you remember?"

"Yes, of course," Lois answered, the lie coming out effortlessly. "Quick question, though – what's the date today?"

Clark smiled a bit. "It's March 20th. You've been unconscious for a few days."

"Yeah, okay…" Lois replied slowly, as she formulated the next question. "Just humor me – what's the year?"

Clark and Chloe exchanged a meaningful glance before he answered. "It's the year 2008. Why?"

Lois's heart sped up at the words as she looked at the young man sitting across from her. She knew, without a doubt, he was telling the truth. So, she did what any rational person would do if they found out they'd just traveled eleven years into the past. She decided to go back to sleep. Lois pulled the covers back over her head – desperately hoping it was all a dream and she'd wake up at home in the morning.


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

**Metropolis, 2019**

Lois perused her closet – or rather, the future Lois's closet – with intense determination. After days of wearing a hospital gown, she was more than ready to change into something new. As she looked through the rows of clothes, she came to one conclusion. In the future, the 40s had made a comeback – with a vengeance. She tried to look for a pair of jeans and couldn't find one to save her life. She did, however, manage to find dozens of slacks and long skirts. There were no t-shirts in the closet. All she could find was an array of blouses in varying styles and fabric. 

Finally, she settled on a pair of gray woolen slacks with a white silk blouse. She studied herself in the mirror for a minute and decided she didn't look half bad. The high waist would take some getting used to, but it definitely made her long legs look even longer. Her hair was pulled back into a bun and emphasized the changes that the years had brought to her features. While she didn't look bad for her age, it was still really odd looking the mirror. After all, aging eleven years in the span of a few days wasn't exactly a great thing for her self esteem.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the bedroom door. Two seconds later, Richard popped his head in.

"Are you ready to go?" Richard asked, his eyes still holding the wary look she'd come to associate with him.

Over the past few days, she'd talked to Richard quite a bit and had figured out that they'd been having problems. He hadn't given her many details (no doubt afraid that it would affect her healing) but she sensed their rift was caused by something very big. While she felt bad that her future self was having issues in the romance department, she couldn't help but be somewhat relieved to hear that she wasn't expected to be all cuddly and loving with a man she didn't even know.

In an effort to give her space and time to regain her memory, Richard was sleeping on the couch in the study downstairs. He'd been the epitome of the sweet and understanding fiancé. Lois wasn't exactly sure who was to blame in the failure of their relationship, but she was pretty sure her future self didn't deserve this guy. He seemed pretty perfect, and even though Lois didn't know what had wrong, she felt really bad that she was hurting him. Or rather, her future self was hurting him.

"Yeah," Lois finally said, giving her makeup one last check. "Let me just find some shoes, okay?"

Richard nodded and closed the door behind him while Lois threw the closet doors open again. She saw a rack of shoes in the corner and conducted a futile search for a comfortable pair.

"Damn it – what is her problem? Does she have something against comfort?" Lois finally asked out loud, with a sigh. She reached out and grabbed a pair of black boots with two-inch heels. With a last glance at the mirror, she ventured downstairs and out into the future world.

**Metropolis, 2008**

Lois waited silently next to Chloe and Clark as Chloe let herself into Lois's apartment. Or rather, what she'd been told was her apartment. She tugged at the jeans she was wearing a bit self-consciously, not accustomed to wearing pants that looked like they were going to fall off any second. The belt was as tight as it could get around her hips, but she still felt exposed. Lois had completely forgotten how weird fashion had been back when she was in college.

Chloe finally managed to get the door open and Lois followed her and Clark into the unfamiliar unit. All three stopped in the middle of the tiny living room. Clark and Chloe turned to look at Lois with identical looks of expectation and hope.

Lois shook her head slowly. "Nope, sorry. It's not ringing a bell." 

Clark and Chloe both let out twin sighs of disappointment. 

"Well," Chloe said with a shrug. "Lori isn't here – she's in class. Maybe when she gets back, you'll remember something."

In an effort to hide her theory that she'd stumbled into the past, Lois had been telling everyone she'd lost pieces of her memory. It was a relief that they'd seemed to have no difficulty accepting her explanation for her odd behavior. Lois wasn't stupid – she knew that telling people she was really from the year 2019 was a sure fire way to get admitted into the nearest insane asylum. And then she'd never get out of here.

But, as she surveyed the completely unfamiliar surroundings, Lois couldn't help but feel incredibly uneasy. It was fairly obvious that she was in the past – but that wasn't scaring her as much as the other things she was starting to realize. There seemed to be a vast difference in the events of this past and what she remembered of her own. For starters, she had never attended Metropolis University. Lois had been accepted to Met. U., but she'd actually attended Cornell. And she didn't know Clark Kent in college. They hadn't met until he started working at the DP.

And then there was Chloe – after she'd given it some thought she had remembered that she _did_ have a cousin named Chloe, but the last time they'd met was when Lois was nine. They had definitely _not_ gone to college together and been best friends. And it was fairly obvious that this Chloe Sullivan was very close to the Lois Lane that usually occupied this timeline. The pain and worry in Chloe's eyes was indicative of that. She felt bad that the she couldn't help the younger woman feel better, but what could she do? In Lois's own version of the past, Lois didn't even know her.

As she wandered into what she assumed was the other Lois's room, Lois started to panic as she allowed herself to finally come to the conclusion she'd been avoiding. This wasn't just the past – it was an _alternate_ version of the past.

"Lois? Are you okay?" Clark had followed her into the room, with her bag. He set it down on the floor and placed his hand on her arm, gently turning her to face him. Clark looked down at her with a reassuring smile, with both of his hands resting on her shoulders. "It'll be fine. I know you can handle this – and just remember that we're here to help. We'll figure it out."

Lois stared up at him, all of her senses heightened by the fear she was feeling. His warm touch felt so familiar – but it didn't feel like Clark. Not that she could ever remember Clark holding her shoulders and looking down at her like this. No – it reminded her of someone else. Someone completely different – and much closer to her.

Lois took a deep breath as she searched his blue-green eyes.

"Superman?" Lois whispered.

**Metropolis, 2019**

"Where are you going, Lois?" Richard asked in a confused voice as he grabbed her arm.

Lois looked at the doors leading down to the basement with confusion. "Ah, the Daily Planet?"

Richard looked vaguely amused. "Well, that is the Daily Planet – if you're a gopher and an intern. That's the basement. Your desk is on the fifteenth floor."

"Ah, right… of course," Lois said, nodding as she understood. Of course, when she visited Chloe at the Daily Planet she always went downstairs. The thought had never occurred to her to visit the other floors. But since Lois was a big shot reporter now – or so she'd been told – it made sense she didn't work down there.

Thoughts of her cousin led her to think about all the changes that had apparently occurred over the years. She hadn't had a chance to talk to Clark (for some reason, he was avoiding her) but Jason and Richard had been very forthcoming about her current life. And neither of them knew who Chloe was. So, either she and Chloe were no longer friends or she hadn't bothered to introduce Jason and Richard to the person closest to her in the world.

Lois couldn't wait until she got a hold of Clark alone to ask him what the hell had happened. She couldn't imagine anything getting in the way of her relationship with Chloe – certainly not enough that Chloe wouldn't even know her own nephew.

Lost in her unhappy thoughts, Lois didn't even notice that Richard had led her to a cluttered desk.

"Here you go, sweetheart. This is where you work," Richard said as he gestured towards the desk.

Lois cast a thoughtful look over the desk, making note of the family picture in the corner. She had a couple small binders full of contacts' information. Lois looked across the desk and saw that Clark was sitting there, studiously typing away on his computer.

"Smallville!" Lois said with a wide grin. "You work here, too. That's awesome."

Startled by her words, Clark looked her way and shot up, hitting the pencil holder on his desk in the process. Richard reached out and caught it before it could hit the floor.

"Uh…what did you say, Lois?" Clark replied, pushing his glasses up his nose nervously. He glanced at Richard and then back at Lois, finally settling his gaze on a point near Lois's computer.

Lois followed his gaze, with a puzzled frown. _What's his problem? Do we not get along in the future or something? Then why do we work together?_

"She doesn't know you work here, Clark. Remember, we talked about her memory loss? She doesn't remember the past eleven years," Richard reminded him, as he rolled his eyes at the blank look on Clark's face. Then Richard turned to Lois with a curious frown. "But why'd you call him Smallville?"

_Damn it – another thing that's changed._

"Um…well…" Lois thought for a second and then decided to go with the truth. "It's what I used to call him in college."

This time, both Clark and Richard stared at her blankly. Clark even managed to actually look at her for a full minute. After a beat, he said slowly, "Lois, we didn't go to college together."

"Uh… yeah we did. We went to Met U together – right?"

Clark shook his head. "No, Lois – you went to Cornell. We didn't meet until I started working here." 

Lois sat down abruptly, staring at Clark in disbelief. She couldn't believe he would actually say that to her.

"We didn't meet here, Sma – I mean, Clark," Lois said, somewhat desperately. "We met in Smallville – remember, in the corn field?"

"Lois, I don't think you've ever even _been_ to Smallville," Clark answered, with an odd look in his eyes. "We definitely didn't meet there – in a corn field or anywhere else." 

Lois stared up at him, trying not to panic. She leaned forward, placed her head in her hands and focused on breathing deeply. _Okay, Lane… apparently, you haven't just lost the past eleven years. You've also screwed up all the years before that._

"Honey, are you okay?" Richard asked softly, as he knelt down beside her, stroking her hair a bit.

Almost as a reflex, Lois flinched and moved away from his touch. At the hurt look in Richard's eyes, she felt even worse.

"You know what?" Lois stood up quickly. "I'm going to get some air. I'm just going to go outside and clear my head for a bit."

Richard stood up, as well and gave her a sad half smile. "Well, you at least remember some things. You're going to the roof, aren't you?"

"Um… well… I wasn't planning on it, but sure, I guess I could go there. But why would I?" Confused, Lois stared at him for a second and then looked at Clark. Clark was studiously avoiding her eyes again and, for some odd reason, appeared to be very uncomfortable. "Is there something special I like about the roof?" 

"You go there to – ."

"To smoke," Clark interrupted, with a glance at Richard. "You go there to smoke when you think no one's looking."

Lois paused and responded faintly, "Oh, that's odd."

In her version of the past, she'd quit smoking. Mainly because of Clark's efforts. She didn't say this to this version of Clark, though. He'd probably freak out. He hadn't handled the whole Smallville thing very well. How would he have handled it if she'd told him _how_ they'd met? She couldn't help be smile a bit at the thought of telling this Clark she'd seen him naked. Then, again, who knew? Maybe this Lois had also seen this Clark naked.

_What was going on?_ Lois touched her fingertips to her brow, trying to hold back the only conclusion that made sense. Just thinking about the magnitude of what she was piecing together was giving her biggest headache she'd ever had. If she was right, then she hadn't just stumbled into the future or just lost her memory. She'd actually managed to end up in an _alternate_ version of the future – one where everything she knew about her own version of life didn't exist.

Trying not to faint, Lois took a deep breath. She started walking towards the elevator, calling back to them over the shoulder, "Okay…. Since I love it so much, I'm going to the roof. Who knows - maybe it'll clear my head."


	5. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

**Metropolis, 2008**

"Superman?" Lois whispered, feeling her heart constrict in her chest. It couldn't be – could it?

With a puzzled frown, Clark dropped his hands from her shoulders and moved a few steps back. As soon as the comforting weight of his hands left her, she felt coldness steep through to her bones.

Clark searched her eyes for a moment and asked, with what appeared to be genuine bafflement, "Who's Superman?"

Lois stared at him blankly. She hadn't expected that. But, now that she thought about it, it made sense. Superman hadn't existed when she was in college, so it wasn't a huge leap to think he didn't exist when this Lois was in college.

Letting out a frustrated groan, Lois covered her face and sat down on the edge of the bed. _What am I going to do? Am I losing my mind?_ She couldn't help but let out a small laugh at the thought. She'd thought Clark Kent was Superman. Yes, of course, she was losing her mind. _That seals it – I've completely lost it._

While she was in the process of saying goodbye to her sanity, she felt Clark sit down on the bed next to her. Two seconds later, she felt him grip her wrist, gently moving her hands away from her face.

"Lois, you can't shut me out," Clark said softly. He gave her an encouraging smile. "If you think of something – anything, you have to tell me. I can't help you if you don't."

There was something compelling about his honest, direct gaze. Lois couldn't break it, even if she tried. She felt her heart flip around again and the unbidden thought came to her again. Was it that crazy? When she looked at Clark, she couldn't help but see Superman – not Clark Kent. Was she projecting or could it be - ?

Lois took a deep breath and held onto Clark's hand tightly, never letting her eyes stray from his. "Clark, if I ask you something, do you promise me you'll answer honestly?"

She couldn't be sure, but it seemed like Clark hesitated for a brief second, an odd flash in his eyes. Maybe she'd imagined it, though, because then he nodded and agreed in an easy tone, "Of course. If it helps you get better, I'll do anything."

"Good," Lois couldn't help but smile. This was the Clark she knew. The Clark that was always willing to do whatever it took to be helpful. "Um… one more thing. If my questions seem weird, you just have to go along with it, okay? Promise me you won't tell anyone and, no matter what I say, you won't think I'm crazy."

Clark smirked a bit. "Too late for that – I've thought you were crazy from the first day we met."

Lois blinked and drew back slightly. It took her a moment to process the teasing grin on his face. _Oh, he's kidding. Thank God._

Lois didn't bother to think about the ramifications of his teasing, flirtatious banter and what that meant. She could only think that she couldn't remember the last time her Clark had looked her in the eye and made a witty comment. Or the last time Superman had dared to tease her or look at her with anything other than longing.

Lois tried to swallow the lump in her throat. This Lois had it a lot better than she did. 

Suddenly, a gorgeous girl opened the door and walked in. Her hair was a rich cascade of auburn waves flowing down her back and she had a body to die for.

"Lois! You're back from the hospital. I'm so glad you're okay." The girl's green eyes were sparkling with life as she came closer to the bed. Her bright smile quickly turned into a frown as she focused her sharp gaze on Clark and Lois's joined hands.

Clark quickly withdrew his hand from Lois's and, again, she felt her body grow cold at the absence of his touch. He stood up and pulled the red-haired girl into his arms for a hug. Shooting a look at Lois, the girl stood on a tip-toe and brought his head down for a deep kiss.

Amused by the juvenile display of jealousy, Lois turned away to hide her grin. Her smile faded, though, as she realized one thing. She'd been wrong – this Lois didn't have any better than she did. Not if it turned out Clark actually _was_ Superman.

**Metropolis, 2019**

Lois stared out over the concrete ledge, blindly taking in the Metropolis skyline around her. She took a deep breath as she tried to quell the nausea rolling in her stomach. Images flashed in her mind. She could clearly see Jason's eyes when he looked at her this morning – the eyes of a little boy who thought she was his mommy. A little boy she couldn't even remember having. _What am I going to do? Am I losing my mind?_

Her desperate thoughts were interrupted by a soft male voice.

"Lois? Are you okay?"

Letting out a slight, mirthless laugh, Lois shrugged. She gripped the ledge tightly and didn't bother to turn around. "Well, I'm as okay as a person can be when they've lost eleven years of their memories." _And scrambled up everything before that, too._

"I know," His voice was gentle, but he didn't move to bridge the distance between them. Lois couldn't help but feel grateful he was giving her much needed space. "How are you feeling? Do you remember anything?"

Lois took a deep breath and considered telling him what was on her mind. Would he think she was crazy? Would he be able to help? As much Lois didn't want to admit it to herself, he was the only one she felt really comfortable with. She needed to be honest with him.

Her decision made, she admitted slowly, "I do remember. The problem is that what I remember isn't exactly what everyone else remembers. Everything is different."

Lois swallowed, trying to decide if she should continue. His silence encouraged her keep going. Lois finally turned away from the ledge to face him. She wanted to be able to focus on him as she told him the rest.

"And then, there's the whole thing with you. It's so - ." Lois stopped and her eyes widened at his outfit.

"Weird," she finished faintly. 

Too stunned to say anything else, she just let her eyes wander up his body slowly. Lois swallowed as she took in the way the blue body suit clung to every muscle on his well sculpted form. There was a yellow and red "S" symbol across his chest and he wore a red cape. It was fluttering in the breeze behind him.

"I… ah… um…," Lois stuttered, frantically trying to regain her ability to speak in complete sentences.

He didn't seem to notice her surprise, as he moved to bridge the distance between them. A look of concern and tenderness softened his chiseled features. 

"Lois, I know it's hard," he said, as he took her hand and squeezed it gently. "I want you to know, I'm going to do everything in my power to find who did this. I'll fix it – if you'll let me."

He lifted a hand, as though he were about to touch her face, but then stopped. Still too shocked to move, Lois didn't respond. She just stared up at him, her lips parted in disbelief.

At her lack of response, a questioning look came into his blue eyes. He hesitated and dropped his hand. "You do know who I am, right? Clark told me you recognized him, so I just assumed that you haven't lost all of your memories."

"Um…yeah," Lois answered, too confused to respond properly. She let go of his hand and took a few steps back. Lois looked him over again, taking in details of the suit. She tried to figure out why he would be wearing it, but couldn't come up with a plausible reason. At least not one that would have made sense in the year 2008.

"Lois?"

Finally, Lois looked up and met his questioning gaze. She pressed her lips, trying to hold back her laughter. She succeeded, but still couldn't hold back a slight smirk.

Lois crossed her arms and asked, with a raised brow, "What's with the tights, Smallville? And why the hell are you referring to yourself in third person?"

**Metropolis, 2008**

"Ahem, I'm still here, you know," Lois said dryly.

Clark pulled away from Lori's intense kiss, unhooking her arms from around his neck.

"Sorry," Clark shot her an apologetic smile and moved slightly away from Lori. Lori seemed a bit put out, but didn't make a comment. "Lois, this is Lori. Your roommate and my… ah…girlfriend."

Lois stood up and held out her hand. She flashed the younger girl a polite smile. "Nice to meet you. I don't know if Clark told you, but I'm having some minor memory issues."

Lori glanced down at Lois's outstretched hand and nodded slowly. "Yeah, Chloe told me a little bit about it. She's in the other room, talking to your doctor."

After a brief hesitation, Lori took Lois's hand and clasped it firmly. For a moment, Lois felt a tremor go up her arm and she couldn't help but focus on Lori's sea green eyes. It was an odd sensation, like Lori was staring into the deep recesses of her soul. She felt a prickling sensation at the nape of her neck. Lois tried to pull away from the firm grasp, but it was like her arm refused to move.

Suddenly, Lori let out a gasp and dropped Lois's hand like she'd been burned, moving back a few steps. For some odd reason, Lois felt a bit light-headed at the break of contact and sat down on the bed to catch her breath.

"Sweetheart, I need to talk to you," Lori said archly, as she turned back to Clark. He had been silently watching them throughout this exchange. "Outside – in private."

Clark hesitated. He looked down at Lois with a worried frown. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just gonna lie down for a second. Go ahead." Lois waved him towards the door weakly.

Apparently satisfied, he followed Lori out the door and closed it softly behind him. Lois counted until five and then jumped off the bed silently. Just as she'd suspected, they hadn't ventured far from her room and she could overhear everything they said through the thin walls.


	6. Chapter Five

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, everyone!! I don't know if you guys realized this, but two of the chapters were posted out of order. Chapter Four came before Three. They were labeled correctly, but got flipped around when they were posted. Sorry about that. **

**Chapter Five**

**Metropolis, 2019**

Clark took a few steps back, his eyes widening in shock at her words.

Lois didn't seem to care and just waited patiently, her arms still crossed. Her hazel eyes were twinkling with barely suppressed laughter.

"Um…" Clark tried to think of what to say. Of all the times he had imagined Lois figuring out who he was, this scenario had not come into mind. Finally, he tried to brush it off. "I don't know what you mean." 

"What part don't you understand? The part about the suit or the part about you talking about yourself in third person?" Lois asked, looking exasperated. "Personally, I think they're both legitimate questions. Unless you're telling me that spandex is the usual attire in 2019."

"No, I'm not…" Clark's voice trailed off and he looked at her carefully. "What makes you think I'm Clark?"

For a second, Lois didn't answer his question. Then, she gave him a look that clearly conveyed the message that she thought he was an idiot for asking.

"Um… okay," Lois said slowly, sounding like she was humoring him. "Let's see – could it be that you sound exactly like Clark? Or… I don't know… maybe it's because you _look_ exactly like him? Plus, you talk like him and act like him?" Lois rolled her eyes. "A weird outfit does not make you a different person, Smallville. It just makes you Clark in a weird outfit."

Clark shook his head, unable to process her flippant tone. In two seconds, she had shattered a secret he'd kept from her for years. Without any accusations or bitterness. She was cracking jokes about it, as though her conclusion didn't even matter. He had never considered this possibility in all the times he'd thought about this conversation. 

He searched her eyes for a moment. He didn't see any anger or distrust – only curiosity and more than a little amusement. Suddenly, he realized that she didn't know Superman – she'd lost her memories of the past eleven years. Superman hadn't existed eleven years ago.

"So, what you're telling me is that when you see me, you don't see Superman? You only see Clark?" Clark asked thoughtfully. He wanted to make sure his theory was correct.

"Who's Superman?" Lois asked, looking completely perplexed. She put her hands on her hips and glared up him. "Look, I'm not sure what's going, but you are _not_ going to convince me you're not Clark Kent. I may have scrambled my brains a bit, but I'm not blind."

Clark bit back a smile. He figured it wasn't the ideal time to tell her that she'd spent the past seven years being 'blind'. It was odd, though – how had she remembered Clark, but she didn't remember Superman? And had the fall triggered some sort of connection in her mind about Clark and Superman? She'd never figured it out before.

"Clark? Who's Superman?" Lois repeated the question, interrupting his thoughts.

"Superman… he's… well… he's who I become when I'm helping people," Clark explained, finding it difficult to go back to the beginning with a woman who already knew him so well. He was at a loss to find the words to explain the differences between Kal-El and Clark Kent. He'd done it before, but this time it seemed like an impossible task.

His mind flashed back to the night, years ago, when Lois had interviewed him on her roof. It had been so much easier to talk to her back then. When there had been no Richard between them and she didn't look at him like he'd betrayed her. He looked at the woman standing across him from him and wondered it he would ever feel that ease with her again. 

"What do you mean, helping people?" Lois asked curiously. "You gotta give me more than that, Smallville."

Clark couldn't help but smile. For some reason, the nickname she'd adopted for him sounded nice. He liked it – it seemed strangely comforting and familiar.

Clark took a deep breath. "Okay… my name is Kal-El. I'm from a planet called Krypton. I have super-powers… like I can see through things. I have super-strength, I can fly. I have heat vision. Things like that. I wear this suit so I can hide my two identities. To keep the ones I love safe. If people knew who I was, they could use my identity against me," Clark explained. He considered telling her that she was one of the ones he wanted to protect, but he didn't want to overwhelm her.

Lois kept silent for a minute. It was obvious she was struggling with what he had told her.

"Did you have these abilities in high school? And in college? Or is it a new thing?" Lois finally asked, giving him an unreadable look.

Clark paused, surprised by her question. It wasn't what he'd been expecting. "Ah… I had some of them in high school. Some of them developed at a young age. I didn't start flying until college."

"Were you adopted by Martha and Jonathan Kent when you were three years old? In Smallville, Kansas?" Lois asked abruptly. He could hear her heart speeding up. "Was there a huge meteor shower the week you were adopted?"

"Yes," Clark affirmed cautiously. "I was adopted by the Kents when I was three and there was a meteor shower. It was when my space-ship came down to earth."

Lois nodded and started taking deep breaths. Alarmed by the sudden spike in her heart rate, Clark reached out and helped her sit down.

She sat down and covered her face with her hands. He could hear her muffled voice saying over and over, "Oh my God… oh my God… oh my God…."

After a moment, Lois lowered her hands and looked at him. Her eyes were full of the anger and pain he'd expected earlier in the conversation.

"Lois, what's wrong?" Clark's heart plummeted at the look of betrayal on her face.

"He lied to me," Lois whispered. She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "I _am_ blind. All this time – he's been lying to me."

Clark stared at her blankly. "Who?" 

Lois stared at him for a moment and then shook her head. She blinked away the tears that had come to her eyes and took a deep breath. "No…I… it's okay. Sorry… forget it." She shook head again and gave him a slight smile. "Sorry I flipped out – won't happen again."

Clark sensed she wasn't telling him something. "Lois, we need to talk."

"I agree," Lois replied, nodding. She looked around the roof and shivered. "Not here, though. I'm not sure what the attraction is, but I'm not really liking it up here. It's kind of cold. Is there somewhere we can talk in private?"

Clark hesitated. "We could go to your place."

"No," Lois immediately shook her head. "I don't like it – it doesn't feel like my place. It's weird." 

"Okay…" Clark glanced away, wondering if he should take her back to his apartment. It would be the first time he'd ever taken Lois there.

"Clark? Can we go to Smallville?" Lois asked in a soft voice. She looked uncertain as she gazed up at him. "Can we go to the farm?"

Taken aback by the odd request, Clark almost said no. But as he stared into her confused and troubled eyes, he found he couldn't refuse. It didn't make sense, but he would do whatever she asked.

"Sure," Clark said gently. "Why don't you go tell Richard we're going on an assignment and I'll meet you outside in five minutes."

**Metropolis, 2008**

Clark shut the door softly behind him and turned around to face his girlfriend. He gave her an angry look.

"You read her mind?" Clark asked incredulously, completely appalled. "I can't believe you violated her privacy like that."

A hurt look flashed in Lori's eyes for a moment, but it quickly faded away. "I didn't do it on purpose, Clark. You know I wouldn't do that. I couldn't help it –her thoughts were begging to be read." 

"You mean her mind just called out to you and said, 'Lori, read me'?" Clark asked sarcastically.

Lori shook her head, looking up at him earnestly. "No, it's not like that. It's like… well… if someone was shouting in your ear, it's not like just covering your ear with your hand is going to stop the noise. Her thoughts are so jumbled, so confused. They were shouting to be heard -- I couldn't close my mind to it even if I tried."

Clark took a deep breath, trying to reign in his temper. Lori was right, of course. He knew her well enough to know that she would never abuse her power willingly. This whole thing with Lois was just making him extra sensitive.

He couldn't help but feel responsible – he had _known_ there was something odd about that man – Dr. Mxy. If Clark hadn't been busy talking to Lori, he might have been able to save Lois. And now –he had just been about to get Lois to talk to him and Lori had interrupted at the wrong time.

Frustrated, Clark raked his hand through his hair and looked down at Lori. "I guess it's okay. But I don't want to know what you found out, okay? It's bad enough that you know – it's not fair to Lois for you to tell me."

"Unfortunately, we don't have the luxury to be ethical right now," Lori responded flatly. "The girl in there – it's not Lois. At least, not the Lois we all know." 

"What do you mean?" Clark asked blankly. "It has to be Lois – she even remembers who I am."

"Well," Lori paused, looking as though she were searching for the right words. "You're not exactly the Clark Kent that she knows. And this isn't the world she knows. She thinks she's from a different dimension and in _her_ world, you two work together at the Daily Planet." 

"She's just confused," Clark argued. "The doctor said it was normal. She's probably just thinking about how Chloe works at the Daily Planet and she's getting it mixed up. Or you didn't read her thoughts right."

"Maybe," Lori agreed cautiously and crossed her arms. "But, if I did read her thoughts correctly, then she knows about your powers, Clark. And, if her thoughts are right and she is a Lois from a different dimension, then in that dimension…" Lori hesitated, an odd look passing over her beautiful features. She closed her eyes and finished softly, "she has a kid and you're the father."

Stunned, Clark stared down at Lori for a split second. There was no way that could be right. Could it?

"What?" Clark asked, in a daze.

Lori swallowed and explained unhappily, "In her mind, she had a kid with a man that has the same powers you do – and she works with Clark Kent at the Daily Planet. In her mind, it's supposed to be the year 2019 – not 2008."

Without thinking it through, he reached for the doorknob and threw open Lois's door, not registering that he'd taken it off the hinges in his haste.

Running into her room, he stopped suddenly when he realized it was empty. Glancing around, his eyes fell on the open window in the back, the curtains fluttering in the breeze.

"Well, that took forever," Chloe said cheerfully, snapping her cell phone shut as she joined him and Lori in the room. "Getting through to that doctor is like getting the President on the phone."

Chloe glanced around the room and finally seemed to register that her cousin was missing. And the door was off its hinges. She looked at door and then back at Lori and Clark curiously. "What happened to the door? And where's Lois? I thought you were going to talk to her, Clark?"

Clark looked at the open window again.

"She's gone," Clark stated grimly.

**Smallville, 2019**

Clark was glad that he'd agreed to bring Lois here. An amazing change had come over Lois as soon as they'd landed in Smallville. Her eyes had started sparkling again and she had walked up to the porch like she owned the place.

Martha had come out and immediately assumed that Clark had told Lois who he was. What followed was one of the most complicated conversations he'd ever had. He tried to explain to Martha that he hadn't told Lois who he was – _she'd_ told him she knew who he was. Martha couldn't figure what was going on and the simple explanation about the memory loss hadn't helped matters any.

Thankfully, Lois had jumped in and asked if she could have some coffee and cookies. It was almost as if she knew that putting together the snack would make Martha more comfortable. Within minutes, Martha was talking to Lois like she'd known her for years.

Unable to keep up with Lois's rapid-fire questions regarding Superman, Martha had finally taken out all the articles that detailed what had happened in the past seven years. It hadn't escaped Lois's attention that most of them were actually written by Lois Lane. They'd all settled down in the living room, giving her time to go through the articles and pictures. 

For the past hour, Clark and Martha had kept quiet as she sifted through the stack of newspapers. Every once in awhile, Lois would utter an, "oh, wow…" or "no way…" but, for most part, she was silent, too.

Clark stared at the beautiful woman sitting across from him in his family home and tried to see if he could discern any physical changes in her. From the outside, she looked just like the Lois Lane he'd always known (and loved) but there was something about her that was different. For one, she seemed more vibrant and energetic than the Lois he spent every day with. A lot more hyper, with a tendency to say whatever was on her mind.

In a lot of ways, she reminded him of the Lois he had met seven years ago at the Daily Planet on his first day of work. The way Lois used to be before he'd gone away for five years.

Glancing at his mother, Clark smiled fondly. He could tell that she was bursting with questions and comments.

"Well, Smallville, I gotta say – this is one whopper of a secret," Lois declared finally, setting aside the final newspaper. Giving him a bemused smile, she picked up one of the cookies on the plate in front of her and took a healthy bite.

Lois swallowed and her smile widened. "Mrs. Kent, it doesn't matter what year it is – you still make the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies known to man." Lois paused and then shot a grin at Clark. "And also Kryptonians, of course."

Clark and his mother exchanged a startled glance and then Martha said slowly, "Thank you, Lois. I'm glad you like them. It's an old - ."

"Family recipe," Lois supplied, taking a sip of her coffee. "I know… you tried to teach me how to make it one day, but I screwed it up. I used baking powder instead of baking soda. You were nice about it, though. You told me that you did the same thing when you made it the first time."

"You're right, I did," Martha replied in amazement at Lois's casual remark. 

Martha's hand when to her throat and she looked at Clark again. This time her look clearly told him she was at the end of her limit and needed her own questions answered.

Clark decided it was time to face the issue head on. "Lois, this is the first time you're meeting my mom. And, I can honestly tell you, there is no way she'd teach you how to make these cookies – she'd guard the recipe with her life."

Martha rolled her eyes. "Well, I wouldn't say that, sweetheart. But it is an old family recipe – I've never given it to anyone." Martha eyed Lois dubiously as she admitted this, clearly wondering if Lois was worthy of the famous Kent recipe.

Lois noticed Martha's look and gave her a reassuring grin, "Don't worry, Mrs. Kent. I didn't write it down. I memorized it just like you told me to – there is no way Mrs. Pascal's getting it out of me. You'll win the contest just like you do every year." Lois thought for a second and then added, in an offhand way, "well, every year you're actually _in_ Smallville, that is."

At the mention of her friend down the road, Martha's eyes widened again. Clark stared at Lois in shock – how had she known that Martha and Mrs. Pascal had an age old rivalry when it came to the annual fair?

"Lois, what's going on?" Clark asked, somewhat desperately. "How do you know all this? You've never even been to Smallville before."

Lois studied Clark for a moment, with an odd look in her eyes. She set the cup down decisively on the coffee table.

"Look, I was debating whether or not to tell you this, Clark. But since I just found out that you're from a different planet, have special abilities, and love your spandex – well, I guess my story doesn't seem that crazy, anymore."

Lois took a deep breath and glanced at Martha. "I am Lois Lane, but I'm from a different universe. At least, I think I am. I can't think of any other explanation."

Martha started to speak, but Lois held up her hand to keep her from interrupting. "In my universe, you and I are really good friends, Mrs. Kent. I was actually your chief of staff for about a year."

"My chief of staff?" Martha asked, with a puzzled frown.

"Yeah – in my world, you're a state senator," Lois explained. "Mr. Kent ran for the office, but he passed away before he could serve. So, you took his seat." 

Clark shot his mother a bemused look. He tried to picture his nice, sweet, soft spoken mother as a cut throat politician and the image made him want to start laughing. Martha wasn't smiling, though. Her brow was furrowed in confusion as she tried to sort through everything Lois was telling them.

Before Clark could say anything, Martha asked quickly. "So, let me get this straight. Are you saying that in this alternate universe, you don't have Superman? How did you recognize Clark, then?"

For some reason, Lois glanced at him and blushed slightly. Clark was fascinated – he hadn't seen Lois blush, under normal circumstances, in a long time. At least not around Clark Kent – she normally only did that around Superman.

"Ahem…well…" Lois considered Martha's question for a second. "Basically, I know Clark pretty well. I mean, we met when he was a senior in high school and we go to college together. He's one of my closest friends. How would I not be able to tell?"

"Well, in all fairness, Lois Lane works with my son _every day_ and she hasn't been able to tell," Martha pointed out, with a bit of a sniff.

It was a sore subject for her – his mother could never believe that Lois wouldn't look past the façade of Clark Kent to see the inner Superman. Clark quickly tried to change the subject before his mother went off on _that_ tangent.

"You go to college together? Meaning, you used to go to college together?"

Lois shook her head. "No, I mean we go to college together. As in, present tense. Where I'm from it's not the year 2019 – it's the year 2008."

Then, his attempts to change the subject went out the window as she turned to Martha and stated, "I don't know why your Lois couldn't tell. The woman must blind. It's pretty obvious that Clark Kent is the guy in tights."

"I know," Martha agreed and made a face. Clark could tell she was really starting to warm up to Lois. "I think any astute woman should be able to tell. I've never understood why she won't see what's right in front of her."

"Mom," Clark tried to interject, but Lois and Martha both ignored him.

"Well, I guess the whole bumbling reporter thing could throw her off," Lois mused and picked up her coffee mug again. Then she added, with a sly grin in Clark's direction, "Although, in all fairness to her, I do have an advantage. I've seen Clark naked. And those tights don't hide much."

Clark choked a bit, as his mother tried to hold back her laughter.

"Well," Martha answered thoughtfully, with a sly smile, "it's not like Jason fell from the skies, you know. I don't know if this Lois has any excuse then."

"Mom!" Clark groaned and rubbed one hand across his face, wishing the floor would swallow him up.

Lois didn't smile back. Instead, her eyes widened in shock and the coffee cup in her hand went crashing to the floor.

Clark turned to Martha, with a sigh. "She didn't know about that part, yet, Mom."

"Oh, no," Martha said slowly, with a look of dismay. She quickly got up and head towards the kitchen. "I'm going to make some more coffee and let you kids talk."

After his mom stepped out, closing the door behind her, a heavy silence filled the room. He avoided Lois's gaze for a moment. When he finally looked up, he saw that she was looking at him with more than a hint of anger in her eyes.

"Smallville, you better hope there isn't any Kryptonite lying around," Lois stated dryly. "Because, right now, I'd seriously love to see how long it takes."

"How it long it takes for what?" Clark asked warily.

Lois gave him a dirty look. "To kill you, of course. Or maybe just maim you a bit. Got any handy?"

Clark rolled his eyes. "I'm not giving you Kryptonite. I'm not an idiot."

"Could've fooled me," Lois muttered under her breath.

Clark ignored the jab. "Would you just let me explain?"

"What is there to explain?" Lois asked, cutting him off. "Are you Jason's father?"

Clark hesitated and then admitted, "Yes."

"Does this Lois know that Clark Kent is Superman?"

"No," Clark answered, softly.

"Okay, then…I'm going for a walk." Lois stood up and headed towards the front door. "We can talk more after I either find some Kryptonite or I decide not to kill you—whatever happens first. For your sake, you better hope it's the latter and not the former."

Speechless, Clark didn't try to stop Lois as she stalked out the door. Especially since he'd just realized something they'd all overlooked. If this really was a Lois Lane from a different dimension, then where was _his_ Lois Lane?


	7. Chapter Six

**A/N: Thanks for all the great feedback, guys. I'm going to try to update as fast as I can. (Just bear in mind, though, that I'm in the process of writing this fic & another so it'll depend on how fast I can write.) **

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**Chapter Six **

**Metropolis, 2008**

"You have got to be kidding me!" Chloe exclaimed, her head swiveling back and forth between Clark and Lori. Finally, she focused on Lori. "You're telling me that my cousin is possessed?"

"Um… no… not really," Lori thought for a second. "Ah… okay, yeah I am. It's kind of like that."

"Chloe, it doesn't matter. She could be a different Lois or maybe she's our Lois, but just confused." Clark shook his head. "We can't just go off of whatever Lori saw when she read Lois's mind –we just need to find her and bring her back."

"Hey, it's not exact science, but I know what I saw, Clark," Lori shot back.

Chloe eyed Lori dubiously. "And what you saw in her mind was another Lois? Where's our Lois Lane, then?"

"I don't know," Lori admitted. "I didn't see any memories to indicate that our Lois was in there. She didn't know who I was, at all. She has no memories of this apartment – or even of Chloe. The only person she knew out of all us was Clark. And it wasn't this version of Clark."

"Right, it's the version that had a kid with her," Chloe said sarcastically, shaking her head in frustration. "Lori, it doesn't make sense."

"And, of course, everything in your life has always made sense. Seriously, Chloe? I mean, you're currently talking to a mermaid and an alien. And _you're_ questioning this?" Lori replied, with a wry smile.

Chloe looked at her best friend curiously. He looked like he was in a confused daze. Chloe sighed. If it turned out that Lori was right, then it was going to be one hell of a problem. And knowing Clark, he was never going to recover from the knowledge that an alternate version of he and Lois had a child together. Great, just what she needed.

"What do you think, Clark?" Chloe finally asked.

"I think she may be right, Chloe," Clark answered, shrugging. "Some of the things Lois said seemed pretty odd. It's true – she didn't recognize anyone but me. And Lori…" Clark hesitated and then smiled at his girlfriend slightly. "Lori's usually not wrong about these things." He looked a little guilty for doubting Lori earlier.

Chloe rolled her eyes at the pleased grin Lori flashed back at him. "Okay, Lori, did you happen to figure out why Lois pulled a Freaky Friday while you were swimming around in her mind?"

"Freaky Friday?" Lori repeated, with a puzzled frown. "What does that mean?"

Chloe arched a brow. "You know, the book? The one about the mother and daughter that switch bodies for a Friday? They made a movie out of it? In fact, they made several."

Still looking blank, Lori shook her head.

"Okay, forget it." Chloe sighed and raked her fingers through her short hair. "It doesn't matter why it happened or even exactly what happened. The first step is looking for her." Chloe turned to Clark. "Clark, go find her and give us a call when you're with her. We need to convince Lois – or whoever she is – to stay with us."

Before Clark could reply, Lori interjected. "Why would Clark know where she is? We'll all go."

"I actually _do_ kind of know where she is," Clark answered. "I've been following her heartbeat while we've been talking. I should be able to track her down pretty fast."

Both Chloe and Lori stared at him in amazement.

"Really? I was just going to tell you to run around until you found her," Chloe said, impressed in spite of herself. "I didn't know you could use your super-hearing for that."

Clark shrugged. "I didn't either. I just tried it right now and it seems to be working. We'll know for sure when I get to her, though."

"Do you think you can do it for anybody?" Lori asked curiously. "I mean, how can you tell her heartbeat from everyone else's in Metropolis?"

"Why don't we worry about the crisis on hand first? We can always analyze his new-found ability later. But we need to find our missing Lois Lane _now_," Chloe said hastily, not exactly liking the direction the conversation was going. The last thing she needed was Lori and Clark fighting while they had an alternate universe's Lois running around her in cousin's body.

"Right," Lori nodded. "Of course – that makes sense. Clark, you go look for her. Give us a call when you find her."

Clark nodded and, in less than a second, disappeared out the door.

**Smallville, 2019**

Lois threw the stick for tenth time and started laughing when the yellow-haired dog sped off after it.

"He likes you," Clark said, as he walked up to her outside. He was dressed simply in a green t-shirt and jeans, and without the glasses, he looked just like her Clark. For a second, it seemed like she was back home, in Smallville, hanging out with Clark at the farm. A part of her expected Chloe to come driving up any second.

Lois looked at him and saw that he was watching her warily, obviously thinking that she was about to ream into him again.

"Yeah, I appear to have Shelby's love no matter what universe I'm in," Lois responded. "Thank God the allergies have gone away, though."

Her tone was light, but she couldn't meet his eyes. After her brief flare of anger had faded, she had ended up feeling pretty embarrassed for going off on him. It wasn't right for her to be angry about something that hadn't actually happened to her.

"Shelby?" Clark repeated, as he knelt down to grab the stick from the returning dog. He threw it out into the field and the dog sped off after it again. "Actually, his name's Krypto,"

Startled, Lois turned to look at him. "No, I - ." Then, she stopped. _Of course. I wasn't here to stop him._ She couldn't help it, she started laughing.

"What's so funny?"

Lois shook her head, but couldn't stop the laughter. Finally, she explained, "Back in my world, Clark has this same dog. And he wanted to name the dog Krypto, but I wouldn't let him. I told him he could name his _next_ dog Krypto. So… I guess…." Lois's voice trailed away.

Suddenly, she didn't feel like laughing anymore. Instead, she was starting to feel downright miserable as the implications of her situation starting becoming more and more clear. The silence between them lengthened until Clark finally broke it.

"I'm sorry, Lois," Clark said softly.

"For what?" Before he could answer, she continued quickly. "Because if it's for the Freaky Friday thing, then there's no need – it's not your fault. If it's for the whole Jason thing – well, I'm not the one you should say sorry to. There was no point in me getting mad at you about it – it's none of my business."

Clark stared at her for a moment and nodded. Then, he shot her a confused look. "Freaky Friday? What's that?"

Lois started to explain but then just shrugged. "Forget it – it's just a book." She paused and added, "My favorite one when I was little."

"What's it about?" Clark asked, leaning back against fence and crossed his arms. The soft material of his t-shirt stretched across his muscular chest.

Lois couldn't help but grin appreciatively. _If Clark ages this well in my universe, I definitely need to make sure we're still friends when we grow up._ Lois realized what she was thinking and tried to stop the inappropriate thoughts. _Stop it! He's taken – by you, actually. So don't think about stealing Clark from yourself. It's screwed up. You're just projecting because he looks just like your Clark right now. Wait – what difference does it make if he looks like Clark? Damn._

Apparently unaware about the confused direction of her thoughts, Clark prompted her, "The book? What's it about?"

"Ah… yeah…it's about a girl and her mom that switch bodies," Lois replied. "My mom read it to me when I was seven – the year she died."

Lois became quiet, remembering the evenings when her mother would sit down and read through the chapters of the book with her. Every day, Lois would look forward to the nighttime when it would just be her and her mother, reading the book. After her mother died, it was years before she could pick up the book and read it again. But it was still one of her favorites.

Lois blinked away the moisture had come to her eyes and cleared her throat. "Anyway, the book is about two people who switch bodies. I'm assuming it's the same case here. I think _your_ Lois must be in my body if I'm in hers. We must have switched somehow."

"Or you could be in both," Clark pointed out. "How do you know she's not somewhere else, completely?"

"Like floating around on some other plane or something?" Lois asked and rolled her eyes. "Not likely – and even if it's a possibility, let's not consider it, okay? The thought is kind of scary. Let's just go with my theory."

Clark nodded and smiled. "Sounds good. Something does tell me that if we manage to get you back where you're supposed to be, it'll all work out."

"Yeah," Lois agreed and became quiet again. Shelby came running up to her and she absentmindedly rubbed his soft fur. "How do you suggest we go about doing that?"

Clark glanced at his watch and pushed himself away from the fence. "I'm going to look into a few things. Talk to a friend of mine. And you," Clark added, while he pushed her firmly back towards the house, "are going to go back to Metropolis and hang out with Jason. Richard's supposed to go on a business trip tonight and you're the only one who can stay with him."

"What?" Lois came to a dead stop. "No way – I'm not a kid person, Clark. I'm not hanging out with someone who keeps calling me "Mommy". Trust me when I tell you this -- you _do not_ want me babysitting your son."

Clark's eyes started twinkling in amusement. "You're going to be fine. After all, if this Lois Lane can handle it, I'm sure you can."

**Chapter Six -- Part Two **

**Metropolis, 2008**

"What took you so long?" Lois asked calmly, as she looked up at the tall man that had just come skidding to a halt in front of her. Her voice echoed faintly through the large, empty room.

Lois was sitting cross-legged on the floor, but now she got up and started to pace back and forth. Occasionally, she'd turn to glare at him.

Clark started to speak, but she cut him off.

"Wait – sorry. What am I thinking?" Lois smacked her forehead sarcastically. "This is the part where I say, 'Clark, what are you doing here? How'd you find me so fast?' and then you say, 'I was just wandering by the neighborhood and just managed to figure it out.' And then I say, 'Oh, right, that makes sense.' And then you think to yourself, 'Man, how great is it that Lois is galactically stupid?'"

The last words were thrown out in a much louder voice than she'd intended and she ran out of steam. Her rant over, she looked at Clark, waiting for a response. He kept silent and just stared at her for a moment. Then, without a word, he took out his cell phone out of his jacket and flipped it open.

"Chloe? Yeah, I found her – she's at the place we had the meeting with that scientist." Clark quickly gave Chloe directions, all the while not taking his eyes off of Lois.

Lois opened her mouth to give him a piece of her mind, again – this time for ignoring her original rant, but he beat her to it.

"I'm sorry, Lois," Clark said softly, as he snapped his cell phone shut and put back in his jacket.

Lois paused. _Okay… wasn't expecting that._

"Who are you apologizing for, Clark? The Clark that lied to me for years in my world or for you – the one that's lying to this Lois for years?" Lois asked warily.

"Neither," Clark replied, with a puzzled look. "I'm apologizing for Lori – she shouldn't have read your mind. And when she did, she shouldn't have told me about it." Clark hesitated and continued with an inquiring look, "You heard us, right? How much did you hear?"

Lois looked away for a second. "I heard enough. I already suspected you were him – but when I heard Lori talking about me knowing your powers, that's when I knew what was going on." She glanced back at him, feeling the anger return. "And what do you mean, you're not apologizing for yourself? I can't believe that – ."

"Lois," Clark interrupted softly and held up one hand. "Give me a second, okay? First of all, I'm not exactly sure what's going on, but one thing is pretty clear – I'm not your Clark. And you're not my Lois." Clark stopped and flushed. His eyes widened and he corrected hastily, "I mean, you're not our Lois – the Lois in our time. Not that she's my Lois… she's not…."

Lois crossed her arms and couldn't help but be amused at the younger Clark's stammering explanation. It reminded her of her partner's stammering explanations. In that moment, her anger faded a bit and was replaced with a deep wave of homesickness.

Even though the knowledge that Clark and Superman was overwhelming, she would have given anything to be back at home having this fight with her own Clark – rather than the younger, more assured version before her. This Clark was weird – he was an odd mixture of Superman and Clark Kent and, truthfully, she didn't know what to do with him.

Lois finally broke into his long-winded denial of ownership of this universe's version of Lois Lane. ""It's okay, Clark, I get it. You and Lois aren't dating – you've got Lori." Lois couldn't help but add, with a tiny smile. "Although I can't really get why you'd want to date a girl that can read minds. That must make surprising her on Valentine's Day pretty hard."

Clark looked down at her for a moment and smiled back, obviously relieved she wasn't going to start ripping into him again. "Lori doesn't read my mind. She promised me she wouldn't. And, in general, Lori doesn't read other people's minds, either. She just couldn't help it in your case."

Lois's brows rose in disbelief and almost snorted. "Give me a break – she's lying to you."

"No, she's not," Clark shook his head emphatically. "The one thing that's perfect about my relationship with Lori is that we trust each other one hundred percent. We have no secrets from each other."

"The one thing, huh?" Lois eyed him speculatively. "That must be a pretty boring relationship, then, if _that's_ the perfect thing about it. What about passion? What about love? What about excitement?"

Clark looked at her oddly and asked slowly, "Is that what you have with your Clark? Is that why you guys are married and have a kid?"

Lois blinked and took a step back. _What? Where is he getting that? Wait… Lori must have dug around in there for quite a bit. Damn._

"Um…I take it Lori told you about my son?" Lois finally asked, not knowing how to explain the weird love triangle she had with Clark, Superman and Richard. Especially since she hadn't quite figured it out herself, yet.

"Ah…yeah," Clark shot her a confused look. "But, Lori told me that he wasn't just your son – he was also Clark's. Your version of Clark."

"He's not Clark's kid," Lois shot back, a bit of her anger returning to her. She bit her lip and looked away. "Well, I guess, biologically, Jason _is_ Clark's child, too. But Clark isn't his father. Someone else is – Clark doesn't deserve to be his father."

Lois could have sworn she saw a hurt look pass over Clark's features, but it was so brief, she couldn't be sure.

"Well, I don't think I understand. I can't imagine that I would have a child and not be a father to him. Is your version of Clark that different from me?" Clark asked the question in an even tone, but his eyes looked troubled.

Not exactly sure how to respond to the question, Lois looked around the room until located a steel table in the corner. In an effort to hide her confusion, she moved towards the corner and settled herself onto the hard surface. She crossed her legs and considered the handsome young man standing silently across the room from her.

"He's not that different from you – if you put the two of him together. But, separately, yes he is different. From anybody," Lois replied, swinging one leg back and forth restlessly.

"Sorry? Two of him?" Clark asked, almost politely, with a raised brow.

_Oh, right – Superman doesn't exist here. Clark must not have turned into him until after college._ Lois squinted at the Clark in front of her and wondered when he would get the desire to don a pair of tights. _How does one get to that point, anyway? Did he just wake up one day and decide he'd look good in spandex?_

Shaking her head at the random thoughts, Lois tried to focus and explain things to Clark without confusing him anymore than he already was.

"Basically, in the future, you have two identies. You're Clark Kent, reporter for the Daily Planet. And you're also Superman – a hero that flies around the world saving people, using various super-powers," Lois explained. "No one knows that both of you are the same person."

"Superman?" Clark looked like he was trying to hold back laughter. "Um… I guess I'm pretty arrogant, huh?" He flashed her a quick grin and, for a second, her heart flipped around in her chest.

_Stop doing that! It's not him!_ Lois commanded herself.

"Um…" Lois blinked, realizing that Clark was waiting for a response. "No… you didn't name yourself. I named you. I mean – I didn't name you Clark, I named you Superman. The first time I wrote an article about you."

Clark hesitated and then asked, "So… what happened? I mean, you work with Clark and you know Superman. How did you and he end up - ?" Clark's voice trailed off and it looked like he was blushing a bit.

Lois couldn't help it - she started laughing. There was just something so familiar about this Clark. She couldn't help but feel comfortable with him. In a way she hadn't been comfortable with her own DP partner for a long time. His crush on her always got in the way. _Wait – Clark had a crush on me. Of course, that makes sense. Damn._

Inwardly cursing herself for own stupidity for the umpteenth time, Lois's voice was harsher than she'd intended when she answered Clark's question. "He lied to me. I worked with Clark and I loved Superman. He never told me he was the same person. And then, one day, they both disappeared. For five years." She thought for a second and added in a softer tone, "Well, Clark did leave a note – but he said he was going to go wander Africa or something. Superman didn't say anything."

Clark frowned. "You mean, he left you and his baby? He didn't even tell you the truth when you told him you were having a kid?" Clark shook his head. "No wonder you're so mad."

"Well…actually… he didn't know I was pregnant when he left," Lois reluctantly admitted after a minute.

"Oh," Clark answered. It was a simple reply, but a wealth of meaning seemed hidden in the word.

"Hey – I would have told him. I just didn't know I was pregnant, either," Lois shot back defensively. "And I didn't even know he was the father."

Clark took a step back, looking horrified. "What? Please tell me you're joking."

Suddenly, Lois realized how it had sounded and her own eyes widened in horror. She shook her head quickly, "No…no… that's not what I meant. It came out wrong." Lois took a deep breath and tried to figure out to explain something she barely understood herself. "Okay… look… there was a point, before Clark left, when I figured out that Clark and Superman were the same person. He told me who he was and took me to this place – he called it the Fortress of Solitude."

"Wait – was it a place full of crystals? A place that looked like Krypton, his home planet?" Clark interjected questioningly.

"Yeah," Lois nodded. "Anyway, this happened about six years ago. Then, an evil dictator from your home planet tried to take over the world – with some help on the side by an evil, bald billionaire." Lois sneered a bit at the reference to Lex Luthor. Just thinking about the last time she saw him made her want to maim someone. "Apparently, Clark decided it was too dangerous for me to know who he was, so he erased my memories."

Clark stared at her blankly. "He erased your memories? How'd he do that?" Clark asked the question in almost awed tone. He actually looked impressed by the other Clark's abilities.

Lois squinted at him and groaned. "Don't go getting any ideas. Let's not forget that it didn't work out that well for that world's Clark. I'm not sure exactly how he did it. But, one day, he just kissed me – and it made me blank out any interaction I'd had with him that would make me know his secret. Unfortunately, the _moron_," Lois ground out through clenched teeth, "didn't realize the kiss would also make me blank out the conception of my child."

"Oh," Clark said again. This time, he looked sheepish.

Lois sighed. "He left pretty soon after that. Maybe he was afraid that if he stayed, it would come back to me. I don't know. I started a relationship with Richard about two months after Supe – I mean, Clark – left."

Lois stared at a spot on the wall near her table, reliving for a minute the day she'd realized she was pregnant. She'd been terrified and in disbelief. What did she know about being a mother? And she barely knew Richard. Even though she loved her son more than anything in the world now, at the time she'd been scared and had thought that her life was ending.

"Um… so…," Lois cleared her throat and continued, yanking herself back to the present. "I, of course, assumed the baby was Richard's. When Jason was born seven months later, we just thought he was premature. And I thought Jason was Richard's until a few months ago – my memories of what happened started coming back. Oh, and Jason shoved a piano across a room – that kind of made me figure out things out a _bit_ faster."

Clark nodded and an odd look came over him. He looked like he was in a daze. He had been leaning against the wall while they were talking, but now he slid to the floor and dropped his head in his hands.

"Clark?" Lois jumped off the table and came to stand before him. She stared down at him with concern. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

Clark gazed up her and shook his head. "No… I'm fine. It's just that… I didn't think I could have kids. I always assumed…" Clark hesitated and raked his hand through his hair. "I always thought I couldn't. At least, I didn't let myself hope I could. So, now… what you're telling me – it means that I can at least…."

Lois gave him a tiny smile and rolled her eyes. "Glad that my pathetic life story could benefit _you_ in some way. Way to make it all about you, Clark," Lois said dryly, as she looked down at him.

Clark started laughing and stood back up in one fluid motion. He gazed at her for a moment and said thoughtfully, "You know, sometimes, you're just like her. Most of the time, I can tell the difference, but when you say something like that – you're just like her."

"How are we different?" Lois asked curiously. "I mean, I know some things are different in her life than they were when I was in 2008 – but are our personalities different, too?"

Before Clark could answer, they were interrupted by the sound of two young women entering the empty room. Their heels and voices seemed unnaturally loud in the echoing chamber.

"Lois!" Chloe ran up to her and gave her hug. She pulled back and grinned. "I'm glad Clark could find you."

Lori followed close behind the petite blonde woman, but with much less exuberance. Lois eyed Lori suspiciously and purposely stuck her hands in her jeans' pockets.

Lori looked straight at her and said simply, "I'm so sorry, Lois. I didn't mean to invade your privacy. It just happened. My powers – I can't always control them." Lori glanced at Clark as she said this. He nodded slightly, like he understood. She turned back to Lois and smiled. "I hope you'll forgive me. I'd like to help you in any way that I can – in this world, Lois is my roommate and we're actually pretty good friends. I'd like to be your friend if you'll let me."

_No, we cannot be friends. And the fact that you're asking tells me that there's something wrong with you. No one can be this nice. And there is no way that hair can be natural. It's definitely fake – and not the "I spent a hundred bucks at the salon" fake._

Lois smiled at Lori, but didn't bother to try to stop the mean thoughts running through her mind. Lori looked directly at her and returned her smile almost shyly.

_Okay, so maybe she actually doesn't go around reading minds all the time. Or maybe she's just a really good actress._

Lois suddenly realized everyone was really quiet and they were all looking at her. Chloe and Clark were both looking at her expectantly, waiting to see if she was going to move past what had happened with Lori. Lori was still smiling shyly and also a bit nervously.

Lois forced a smile to her lips and lied through her teeth. "Of course we can – any friend of this Lois's is a friend of mine." Lois made sure to keep her hands safely in her pocket and gave her a huge grin as she added, "Not that I have a choice – you guys are my best bet getting out of here. And I have no money or a place to stay."

"How did you get to downtown, anyway?" Chloe asked curiously. "You would have needed a cab to get here and you left your purse at home." Apparently, Chloe had realized that a change of subject was in order. Lois couldn't help but shoot her a genuine smile – the girl was smart.

Lois patted her jeans' pocket. "Your Lois does the same thing I used to do when I was in college – she has a twenty sewn into the lining of each of her jeans' pockets. Forty bucks was enough to get here."

All three of the college students looked at each other in surprise and then stared at Lois's jeans.

Clark cleared his throat. "Really? Why?"

"For obvious reasons – you never know what could happen. Came in handy today, didn't it?" Lois pointed out, with a slight smile at the confused looks on their faces. It was hard to believe she'd ever been this young and naïve. Then again, she really never was naïve – the General had seen to that.

Lois took a deep breath and looked at Chloe, Clark and Lori with a determined expression. "Okay, let's come up with a plan. I have a son to get back to and every minute we waste is a minute where my son is left alone."

"He might not be alone – our Lois could be with him," Chloe suggested, with a worried look. "At least I hope so – otherwise we have no idea where our Lois is."

Lois paused. "You mean like a "Freaky Friday" thing? We switched bodies somehow?"

"Yes, exactly!" Chloe said with an excited grin. She threw Lori and Clark a triumphant look and muttered, "See, I told you it was a book."

"Of course it's a book." Lois replied matter-of-factly, wondering why they would even question it. "It was my favorite book when I was kid."

Chloe blinked in surprise. "It was my cousin's favorite book, too. Because of her mom."

"Hmmm," Lois nodded thoughtfully. "Looks like I've got more in common with your cousin than I thought. Interesting." Then a thought occurred to her and she winced. "And that means that I'm not leaving her with Jason any more than I have to – there's no way I would have been able to handle him when I was in college."

Chloe and Clark exchanged an amused look. Chloe agreed with a grin. "You've got that right – I cannot imagine Lois taking care of a kid. We better get her back here before she kills herself – and you've got no body to go back to."


	8. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven **

**Metropolis, 2019**

"So, what is it exactly?" Lois asked, as she squinted at the blue wiggly lines on the paper. She tried turning it upside down, but that didn't help, either. "Ah… is it a person, place or thing?"

Jason looked at her like she was crazy for not figuring it out. "It's the sky – when we're flying."

Lois set the drawing down on the dining table and glanced at him. "You mean, on a plane?"

"No, with Superman," Jason stated calmly and grabbed the paper. He slid off the chair and went over to the refrigerator to post it next to other drawings of a similar nature.

Lois nodded slowly. "Riiigggttt… of course. How obtuse on my part."

Apparently satisfied that the picture was hanging in the right spot, he looked back at her curiously. "Is that a bad word? 'Cause Daddy says you have to put a quarter in the jar if you use a bad word."

Lois followed the direction of his finger as Jason pointed to a cookie jar on the counter labeled very clearly "bad words fund". She bit back a smile and explained, in a serious tone, "No, 'obtuse' is not a bad word. It means that I wasn't thinking clearly." After he nodded, she grinned and added, "Not that I won't be adding to that jar by the end of the night. Trust me, it'll see more money than it ever has. You'll probably get, at the very least, a bike out of it."

Jason stared at her for a second and started giggling. "You're funny."

Lois couldn't help but start laughing at the surprise in his voice. "Well, thank you. I take that as a compliment. You're pretty cool, too."

"But you're different from my mommy," Jason replied, sobering up instantly. "She's funny, too, but you're a different funny. And you talk weird."

Lois looked away from the questions in his eyes, trying to figure out what to say to that. She and Clark had decided it would be for the best to tell Jason the truth. Or at least something close to the truth. So they'd explained to the five year old that she wasn't his mommy, but she looked like his mommy. Surprisingly, Jason had taken it in stride. Then again, given that he'd just learned his father was Superman, he was probably getting used to taking things in stride.

"What kind of funny is your mom?" Lois finally asked, turning back to the little boy.

Jason clambered back onto the chair and made a production out of thinking about her question. "Umm… she says funny things and laughs a lot. But she talks to me like I'm a baby. You talk to me normal. Like you talk to Daddy. Like you talk to Mr. Clark," Jason replied solemnly.

Lois winced. "Oops – sorry. I guess I shouldn't do that, huh?"

Jason gave her a puzzled look. "You can do whatever you want. You're a grown up."

"Right," Lois muttered under her breath. "I'm a grown-up." Then, in a louder voice, she asked brightly, "So, you wanna play some video games?"

"We don't have any," Jason answered, with an expression that clearly indicated he thought she was odd for thinking they did.

_Right, they're bad for kids._

"Okay," Lois nodded agreeably. She offered him another smile. "How about some TV? Got any favorite shows?"

"No, I'm not allowed to watch TV," Jason answered instantly. He picked up a crayon and started coloring on a fresh paper. In the tone of one who had clearly heard it a thousand times, he recited, "TV rots the brain and teaches children to be drones."

Lois started laughing. "Who told you that?"

Jason glanced up from the picture he was drawing. "My mommy."

Lois's eyes widened in horror. _Damn, I'm the mother from hell._

"Okay, um… if you can't watch TV or play video games, what _do_ you do? I mean, when you're home with your mommy?" Lois asked a bit desperately.

"We play together. We read a lot," Jason didn't bother looking up, remaining focused on drawing black lines to indicate rain. "I read to my mommy sometimes and sometimes she reads to me. She tells me stories – 'cause, you know, she's been all over the world." At that proclamation, he did glance up, with a proud, beaming smile.

Since it looked so much like that mini version of Clark's famous Kent grin, it was impossible not to grin right back. Plus, she was starting to feel good about this mothering thing. Maybe her older, alternative self knew what she doing if she was managing to raise this kid so well. After all, TV _did_ rot the brain.

"And a lot of the time, she just works and I hang out with Daddy," Jason finished up the picture and the explanation at the same time. He handed her the picture and ran out of the room.

Before Lois could decide if she was supposed to follow him, he'd run back in with two Hot Wheels – one clutched in each of his little hands. He thrust a black one at her and kept the other.

"Here, you be the Porche and I'm gonna be the Chevy. We're going to play racing games," Jason declared, as he started swooping the car around the dining room chairs, while making loud engine noises.

Lois looked down at the metal car in her hand and then back at the little boy and saw that he was crawling under the chair. _What does he mean, play racing games?_

Jason poked his head out from under the table. "C'mon, you have to play with me. It's not fun if I do it by myself! The track is down here!"

_Oh, that's what he means._ As Lois knelt down on the floor and tried to pretend she knew how to race a Hot Wheels car, she couldn't help but roll her eyes. _TV may rot the brain, but it sure as hell is a great babysitter. And much better on my knees._

"BBBWWWFERARRR," Jason roared out happily. He came crawling towards her and, in his excitement, ran his car into her hand.

Instinctively, she pulled back. In the process, she ended up banging her head against the dining table.

"Ow!" Lois exclaimed, rubbing her head.

Jason clasped his hand over his mouth and gave her a wide-eyed stare. "Ooohh, that's a bad word. That means you have to put money in the jar."

Lois took a deep breath and willed herself to stay calm. _Oh my God, I've got to get out of here._

**Metropolis, 2008**

"Are you sure you scanned it properly?" Lois asked Clark, for what even she knew was the twentieth time.

It was to his credit that when he answered, his voice was patient and polite. "Yes, I did. I even double-checked to make sure there was no lead anywhere. The place was completely clean, Lois. We're not getting any information out of that building."

Lois blew her hair out of her eyes in frustration. "What are we going to do? That was our only lead. I thought that little midget would leave us at least _something_ we could use to trace back to him."

Lois glanced around the tiny living room her alternate self shared with Lori and shuddered. _There is no way I'm going back to being a college student. I've got to get out of here._

"We'll just have to find an alternate way to get information," Lois stated. She turned to Chloe, who was typing away madly on her laptop. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to find out there were any unusual occurrences reported the night the switch happened," Chloe explained. Her blue eyes were glued to the screen and she had no difficulty typing, reading and talking simultaneously – and all at top speed. "Looking for freak storms, maybe some odd cosmic action. There was lightening and you were looking at the stars, right? Maybe there was some odd planetary alignment that night or something. And mixing it with the storm created some problems."

"Hhhmmm," Lois thought about it for a second. She remembered the odd image she'd seen right before blacking out. The star being struck by lightening. "Um, not to be rude or anything, but where are you looking for this info? How are you going to find this data on the internet?"

"Chloe can hack into anything," Clark interjected, with a proud grin directed towards his blonde friend. "She's a computer genius."

"Well, I wouldn't say genius," Chloe replied, with a modest blush. "But, yeah, I can usually find out what you need to know. The Daily Planet has some great online resources and it's usually easier to get information if you have press clearance."

Lois gave her a amused smile. "Press clearance? What the hell is that? You do realize that if someone is giving you info knowing that you're press, you should _automatically_ assume the info is wrong. No one tells press the real story. You can't get your answers off of the computer, Chloe. Not all of them, anyway. That's just the beginning." Lois nodded towards Chloe's laptop. "I guarantee that at least eighty percent of the stuff you find is going to be wrong. You're technological resources are just too limited. And, unfortunately, we don't have time to wade through your research to find the twenty percent that's right."

"Limited?" Chloe looked more than a little insulted. "I'll have you know - ."

"I don't want to know anything," Lois interrupted. "It's not about your pride, Chloe. I understand that you're brilliant and that you want to be a huge investigative reporter at the Daily Planet. And I wish you luck with that. I'm just telling you that I actually happen to _be_ an investigative reporter at the Daily Planet. And I can tell you that I know that, in the year 2011, a new editor came to the newspaper." Lois's voice softened. "His name was Perry White and one of the first things he did was upgrade the technological side of the paper and the methods in which the reporters did their research. He changed the way the DP got facts. And, even in your world, he's not the editor yet. Therefore, that computer," Lois pointed at the laptop, "Is as good as useless to me. I'm sorry, but I just can't trust it."

Chloe sighed. "Fine, I can understand that. But, Lois, I can't upgrade more than this – not unless you transport _me_ a couple of years into the future. This is as technologically advanced as 2008 gets."

"Actually, that's not true," Lois answered thoughtfully. "There is one person, even in the year 2008, who would have technology so advanced that the US government would kill to get their hands on it. One person who, if he's who I think he is even in this world, would be able to help figure out what's going on. He might even manage to get me back to my world."

Clark and Chloe exchanged a confused look.

"Who's that?" Clark asked, a worried expression clouding his blue-green eyes. "Can we trust him? I don't think we should involve anyone else in this."

Her mind made up, Lois ignored Clark's warning. "C'mon guys, we're going to Gotham."

**Metropolis, 2019**

Lois stared at the box of organic, whole grain pasta and tried to figure out how to make it. It looked like it would be as simple as making macaroni and cheese. Unfortunately, she'd never really grasped how to make macaroni and cheese. She sighed. _It figures that my kid would be allergic to peanuts – the only thing I know how to make is PB and J._

The doorbell rang and she dropped the box in her excitement. Both she and Jason made a dash for the door.

Lois swung the door open two seconds before Jason could get to it. "Clark!" She was so happy to see him, she threw her arms around him, giving him a big hug. "Thank God you're here."

Clark hugged her back briefly and then pulled away. His glasses slid down and he pushed them back up. He cleared his throat and said, "Lois, I'm glad to see you, too. I brought a friend."

He pushed the door open further and it revealed a tall, dark-haired man who had been standing in the shadows behind Clark. As the man came forward and entered, Lois got her first look at his face. Her first thought was that he was really handsome – in a grim, very serious, kind of a way. Her second thought was that she'd never want to meet him in a dark alley.

Lois took a step back, allowing both men to walk past her into the foyer. She closed the door behind them.

"Ah… nice to meet you, Mr - ?" Lois said, holding out her hand to the stranger.

"Wayne," he replied with a warm smile as he took her hand. The smile made a huge difference on his autocratic features – he looked much more human and approachable. "But call me Bruce – after all, I am good friends with the Lois who usually occupies that body."

Lois blinked in surprise, as she withdrew her hand. "Bruce Wayne? As in Wayne Industries?"

Bruce shot her an amused half smile. "The one and the same. You really are a different Lois, aren't you?"

Lois ignored the comment and turned to Clark, with a raised brow. "What is up with you and billionaire friends? First the billionaire baldy and then Oliver Queen. Now it turns out you've got Bruce freakin' Wayne following you around. What's up with that?"

Bruce looked at Clark with an alarmed expression. "Does she mean Lex Luthor?"

"Of course I mean Lex Luthor," Lois responded and rolled her eyes. "How many other bald billionaires are there?" Lois paused and added, "Wait, don't answer that. In my world, there's more than one, but the most famous one is Lex Luthor."

"Guys, why don't we stop saying that name for now, huh?" Clark interjected softly. He jerked his head towards the hallway, where Jason had disappeared under a small side table. Clark walked over to the table and knelt down beside it.

Puzzled by Jason's sudden shyness, Lois started to move forward to help Clark, but Bruce grabbed her arm. He shook his head silently, indicating that they should stay put and let Clark handle it.

"Hey, buddy, what's going on? Aren't you going to come out and give me a hug?" Clark reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a small box. He held it close to the table, but not close enough for Jason to be able to reach it without coming out. "Looks like I'm just going to open this by myself."

Slowly, a small head peeked out, followed by the rest of his body. He crawled out from under the table and, without a word, straight onto Clark's lap. He grabbed the box and tore it open. Nestled in the cotton was a small reddish rock.

Jason lifted out the rock and held it up. He swiveled his head towards Clark and spoke for the first time. "Cool! Which one is this from?"

Clark grinned down at him. "This one's from Mars. Why don't you go add it to your collection in your room?"

"Okay!" Jason scampered off his father's lap and went running up the stairs. Clark let out a slight laugh and stood up.

Lois couldn't help be amazed at how easily he'd handled the situation. Then again, her Clark was pretty good with kids, too, so it stood to reason that this version would be a great dad.

"He's still not over his fear of Lex?" Bruce asked sympathetically.

"Of course not – Lex almost killed his mom. It'll take him awhile to get over it," Clark answered quietly.

"Wait, Lex tried to kill me? I mean, your version of me?" Lois asked, horrified by what she'd just heard.

Clark nodded grimly. "Yes – and Jason. So, it's still hard for him to hear Lex's name without freaking out a bit."

"Right, that makes sense. Sorry, I didn't know," Lois cast an apologetic look at Clark.

"I know," Clark nodded kindly. "It's okay. But what do you mean, I'm friends with Lex? In your world, I'm friends with Lex Luthor?" Clark frowned. "That's odd. I can't imagine it."

Lois grimaced. "Well, you _were_ friends. You're not anymore. It's a long, complicated story. It involves Lex dating your ex-girlfriend, Lana."

Clark looked even more confused. "Lana? As in Lana Lang? My high school girlfriend?"

"Good to know some things are constant in all universes," Lois muttered under her breath and rolled her eyes. In a louder voice, she said, "Yes, Lana Lang. As in the love of your life."

Clark crossed his arms and grinned. "Lana Lang is not the love of my life. And I'm pretty sure it's the same case with your Clark."

"Yeah, right. You haven't met my Clark – trust me, when he falls, he falls bad."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt a bit guilty In all fairness to Clark, he hadn't mentioned Lana in a long time. And he was dating someone new.

So, she amended her earlier comment. "Actually, he is dating a new girl – she's my roommate. And Lori's not too bad, I guess," Lois shrugged.

At this point, Clark started laughing. "Lori? As in Lori Lemaris? That's so funny – I dated her in college. Hmm… I haven't talked to her in years. I wonder how she's doing?" Clark said musingly.

"Well, maybe after we get me back to my own body, you can call her up. I'm sure you two can have a great double date with Lois and Richard," Lois shot back.

Her words did the trick and wiped the smile off Clark's face.

Bruce cleared his throat. "I'm still standing _right here_. Did you need me or not? Because this billionaire's time is pretty valuable, you know."

Lois started, having totally forgotten Bruce was still there. "Right, of course. I'm not sure why you're here, but I guess we still need you." Lois paused. "Wait, why _are_ you here? And what do you have to do with anything?"

Bruce and Clark exchanged an unreadable look.

"Well, it's a long story, Lois," Bruce finally replied.

"I've got time – or, at least, a version of it," Lois pointed out reasonably. _After all, what else do I have to do? Definitely don't want to go back to playing Hot Wheels._

Clark sighed. "Okay, well, if we're doing this, then let's at least do it over dinner."

"Do you guys want organic, whole grain pasta?" Lois asked hopefully, with a raised brow. _Maybe I can convince them to make it._

"Um… no," Bruce replied hastily. He pulled out his cell phone. "Why don't I order us some decent dinner and you two can go sort out whatever issues you're having?"

Lois turned to Clark with a surprised look. "Bruce Wayne is going to order us dinner?"

Clark shook his head. "No, he's calling Alfred. His butler will do it."

"Right," Lois nodded. Suddenly, the rest of Bruce's sentence sunk in and she frowned. "Wait, what does he mean by issues?"


	9. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight **

**Gotham, 2008**

"Let us in, Alfred," Lois said again, speaking in an authoritative voice into the intercom. "Trust me – your Master Wayne definitely wants to see us."

Clark looked at her with amazement and then gazed at the high gates stretched out before their little rental car. He considered telling Lois that they could just break in but decided not to. After all, she probably had some reason for going about this the hard way. A hard way that consisted of spending thirty minutes arguing with a British butler over the intercom.

Chloe leaned forward from the back seat and stuck her head between the two of them. "How long is this going to take?" Apparently, she had less faith in Lois's methods than Clark, since she added, "Because Clark could just break us in, you know. I'm getting a leg cramp back here – this backseat was not made for a normal sized person."

Lois took a break from her lengthy argument with the intercom to turn to Chloe. "Not my fault that your cousin's credit card maxed out and this was all we could afford."

"My cousin's card maxed out because you bought three airline tickets to Gotham at the last minute," Chloe pointed out and rolled her eyes. "The girl's a college student, remember?"

Lois paused and thought for a second. "Oh yeah. Sorry." She offered Chloe a tentative, sheepish grin and then turned back to the intercom. "Alfred, you have to let us in. I've got a girl in the backseat suffering."

"With all due respect, Ms. Lane, the hospital is five miles away. You are welcome to go at any time," the butler responded in a mild, polite tone. 

Lois tapped the steering wheel impatiently with two fingers and then took a deep breath. "Okay, I didn't want to do this…" she muttered and then poked her head out the window to speak into the intercom in low tones. "Tell Bruce that if he wants to be batty and act like a caveman, racing in his little cars, then he should let me in. He'll want to talk to me."

Clark exchanged a look with Chloe and they both turned to Lois. She ignored them, her eyes focused on the silent intercom. One full minute later, the gates swung open.

"Yes!" Lois smiled triumphantly at Clark. Her hazel eyes were dancing with excitement. "Even stuck in the past in a different dimension, Lois Lane's still got it."

Clark couldn't stop the answering grin. "Apparently, Lois Lane is modest in every dimension, too."

"You're just jealous," Lois shot back, with a smirk, as she drove the tiny compact through the gates and up the long drive towards the main house.

"Jealous?" Clark asked, with a raised brow. "Why would I be jealous?"

She parked in front of the main doors, turned to him and explained. "Because I can use my brains instead of just relying on brawn. You, on the other hand…."

"How was that using your brains? It was more like using your ability to irritate people," Clark responded, adopting her same teasing tone. "You annoyed the guy so much that he had no choice but to let us in. Are you sure super-annoyance isn't one of your abilities in the future?" 

"For your information…"

"Enough," Chloe interrupted, sticking her head between the two of them again. "Am I going to have to separate you two? Because, honestly, you're giving me a headache. Clark, I know you have issues being mature around the usual Lois. But I definitely expected more from you, Lois. You're supposed to be older than us."

Lois and Clark both looked at her in surprise. Then, they looked at each other. Lois held his eyes for a moment with an unreadable expression on her face. 

Finally, she said, "Right, I'm sorry, Chloe. I just forgot who I was for a second." Then, she looked away and added in a much lower tone, "Or I forgot who he was."

Clark kept silent, not exactly knowing how to respond to that. The silence grew in the tiny car until Chloe tapped Clark on the shoulder. "Could you get out of the car? I'm kind of trapped back here."

Clark started. "Oh yeah, sorry. I forgot this was a two door." He climbed out and helped Chloe extricate herself from the backseat. Lois had already gotten out of the car and was halfway towards the front door before he could run around to open the door for her. He couldn't help but grin slightly – his Lois would have done the same thing.

Clark and Chloe caught up with her at the front door of the dark, imposing mansion. Chloe stared up at it with awe and even Clark couldn't help but be impressed. It wasn't anywhere near as spectacular as the Fortress, but for a human mansion, it ranked up there. It definitely outstripped Lex's mansion back in Smallville.

"Wow," Chloe uttered softly, looking completely dazed. "He is a billionaire."

Lois appeared completely unfazed by the grandeur surrounding them and she reached out to knock briskly on the door. "Yeah, he is. He's also a pretty nice guy."

"I don't know, Lois," Chloe said skeptically. "Are you sure he's Batman? I can't really picture it. He's got a reputation – "

"For being a playboy?" Lois supplied. She looked around and found the bell. She pushed down on it impatiently. She turned to Chloe and Clark and explained, "It's an act. Kind of like how Clark's dorky Daily Planet routine is an act. Bruce's playboy thing is an act."

Lois's tone didn't have the hostility it usually did when she mentioned Clark's dual personas. Clark considered it a step in the right direction. He smiled and replied lightly, "I think Bruce Wayne is better off – his act seems like a lot more fun."

Lois cast a startled glance at him at his comment. "I guess so… I never thought about it." She looked at him for a second and then focused on knocking at the door again.

"I don't think it's working, Lois. They're obviously not going to open the door. Let's see…" Chloe commented. She took a hold of the handle, turned it slightly and pushed the door open. It swung inwards smoothly, revealing a dark entryway. Chloe shot a crooked grin at Clark and Lois. "Sometimes it works to just go for the easy way."

Lois reached out and grabbed her arm before Chloe could walk in. "Wait – it could booby-trapped. Knowing Bruce, it probably is," Lois warned, in a whisper.

"What if it is? We're with Clark," Chloe pointed out, as she looked back over her shoulder.

"Yeah, I know," Lois replied. "I'm not suggesting that we not go in – I'm just saying let Clark go first – we only walk where he walks."

Clark listened to them argue it out for a moment and then rolled his eyes. He hit the door slightly, making it open further. "At this rate, they'll have taken off through the backdoor. Let's hurry this process up. You guys behind me – and the second this guy starts acting weird, we leave. Okay?"

Lois cleared her throat. "Um, Clark? He's a guy that dresses up as a bat. Bruce is already as weird as it gets."

Clark paused and thought about it for a second – she had a valid point. Then again, who was he to judge? Apparently, he wore red and blue spandex in the future. "Okay, well – the second he starts acting dangerous, we leave. I'll super-speed you guys out of there if I have to – and no arguments from either of you."

Chloe nodded immediately, but Lois clearly looked like she wanted to tell him off. Before she could say anything, he added in a grim tone, "You can't hurt this body, Lois. Our Lois might not have a body to come back to if you do – just remember that."

Lois closed her mouth and reluctantly nodded. She moved away and let him go before her. He heard the two young women following behind him as he walked through the long shadowy hallway, where he could clearly see a room at the far end.

Music was wafting through and he could hear laughter coming from the room. He quickly x-rayed the hallway and saw that only one person was in the well lit room. Clark glanced back, making sure Lois and Chloe were close behind, as he led them into the room. All three burst in and stopped abruptly at the sight that met their eyes.

A tall, handsome young man – in his late twenties – was standing near a bar. He was drinking straight from a bottle and looked like he'd just come from a party. It didn't take a genius to figure out that it was Bruce Wayne. And he was clearly continuing the drinking part of the party, if the empty bottles surrounding him were any indication.

Bruce turned to the three of them and his dark eyes focused on them – or, at least, tried to focus. "Friends?? Who are you?" His gaze narrowed on Chloe and he grinned in delight. "I know who you are!"

Chloe looked taken aback. "You do?"

"Yeah," he declared, as he walked closer to her. He made a production out of checking her out and declared, "Now, usually I go for the leggier chicks. But I like blondes," His eyes traveled up her body to her face. "And blue eyes. Why'd you bring the guy? I don't go for that – but the other girl can stay."

Horrified by his comment, Chloe gasped and took a step back. Clark, on the other hand, took a step forward to grab the guy and instill some Kent family manners into him – preferably through bodily force. Before Clark could get close enough, though, Lois reached out and stopped him.

"Don't worry, it's an act," Lois assured both of them, as she stepped closer to Bruce. Her hazel eyes narrowed on his face thoughtfully. "And not a very good one. I have to say, you pull this playboy image off in a much more subtle fashion later on in life."

Before he could respond, Lois had grabbed the bottle from his hands and downed it in two good gulps. She swallowed and turned to Chloe and Clark. "See? It's iced tea."

Chloe finally regained her voice. "That still doesn't prove he's Batman." Chloe shot Bruce a hostile look. "In fact, I would rather he isn't. Then we'd have to work with him."

Bruce didn't respond. His face had lost the glazed, drunk look. Instead, he was analyzing the three of them with an alert look in his dark eyes. Slowly, he moved closer to the well stocked bar a few feet away. Clark noticed the slight movement and x-rayed the bar. It was well stocked with weapons of all types. _Okay, this is getting out of hand._

"I think you might want to stop walking and listen to what Lois has to say," Clark suggested mildly. He slowly drew Chloe behind him as he moved closer to Lois. "We're not going to hurt you."

Bruce paused and stared at Clark in surprise. After a beat, he burst out laughing. "You walk into my house and tell me that I'm Batman – and then _you_ assure _me_ that you're not going to hurt me?" Bruce shook his head, still looking amused. "I don't what's funnier – that you think I'm a guy that runs around in a bat suit or that you think I don't have a hundred security guards outside the door just waiting for me to give the command to kick you out."

One quick x-rayed glance revealed no such cavalry was coming, so Clark shot him a half grin back. "Something tells me that you would never have let us in if you didn't want to hear what we have to say. Something also tells me that the bar is full of weapons."

A fleeting look of surprise crossed Bruce's face for a second and Clark's half smile turned to a full-fledged grin. He was kind of enjoying himself. "So, again, you might want to listen to what Lois has to say. We wouldn't have bothered you if we didn't need you."

Bruce crossed his arms and scowled at the three of them. It was apparent that he didn't like being backed into a corner. In an arrogant, authoritative voice – devoid of any hint of drunkenness, he stated, "Okay, fine, but on my terms."

Clark glanced at Lois and she nodded. "Okay," Clark agreed. "But you have to apologize to Chloe first," Clark added. "Act or no act – you shouldn't disrespect people like that."

Lois looked surprised at his comment and started laughing. Bruce rubbed his hand across his face in a tired manner and then contemplated Chloe for a moment. Chloe, for her part, looked mortified and was glaring at Clark.

"Ms. Sullivan," Bruce finally said, obviously striving for a polite tone. "I apologize. Not because I said I like blondes – because I do. And not because I said I like blue eyes – because not only do I like blue eyes, you have a pair of the most spectacular blue eyes I've ever seen." 

At that, Chloe flushed a deeper shade of pink and Clark almost rolled his own blue eyes. Lois had a pained expression on her face and was very clearly trying not to gag.

Bruce wasn't finished. "I apologize because Mr. Kent is right – no woman should be treated that way. I hope you'll forgive me?"

Clark shot Lois a look of disbelief. Was this guy for real?

She gave an answering shrug and whispered, "I told you – he's better at this in the future." Then she cast a speculative look at his best friend and added, "Although, it seems to be working, so he must be doing something right."

Clark followed the direction of her gaze and saw that Lois was right. Chloe and Bruce were chatting away and he could hear Chloe apologizing to _him_ because they'd caught him off guard. Bemused, Clark shook his head – how was it that some guys managed to be jerks and women just lapped it up? _I'll never understand women._

**Metropolis, 2019**

Lois stared out over the water next to the patio and shivered a bit in the chilly evening air. Clark must have seen the slight movement, because he immediately shrugged out of his suit jacket and handed it to her. With a small smile, she took it and wrapped it around herself. It was huge on her, but still felt warm and comfortable.

"So, Bruce sent us out here to resolve our issues," Lois finally said, breaking the silence that had settled between them. "Have any idea what he's talking about?"

Clark didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked out over the water, avoiding her gaze. Lois waited patiently, having learned from experience that Clark Kent could not be rushed when he was in the process of going through a good brood. Apparently, the brooding gene spanned years and universes.

"Yeah, I know what he's talking about," Clark admitted, raking his hand through his dark hair before to turning to face her. "We talked about it on our way here."

"Care to let me in on the secret?"

"He thinks that I'm getting too close to you. He's afraid that I can't differentiate between you and the real Lois – the Lois I'm in love with," Clark flushed and looked away again. "Bruce is worried that you and I will…" Clark cleared his throat and finished quickly, "he's afraid that I'll use you as a substitute for Lois and when this all gets cleared up, our relationship will have wrecked havoc on two different timelines across two different dimensions."

Lois nodded slowly, trying to absorb his words without flinching. "Except for one thing," Lois pointed out in a mild tone, trying to hide her annoyance. "You guys both sort of forgot about me in that theory." 

Clark shot her a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"I can easily tell the difference between you and the other Clark," Lois shot back. "What makes you and Bruce think that _I'm_ going to fall for _you_? How arrogant – I'm not even in love with my Clark, so why would I fall for you?"

Lois didn't even blink as the lie left her lips. _Well, technically it's not a lie. I mean, I'm not really in love with Clark – just kind of have a crush on him. And this Clark doesn't need to know that._

Clark stared at her for a second and then started laughing. "I know that – I didn't say I agreed with him. I just said that he was afraid about this – on my part – and that's what he meant by the issues. When he saw us in there, I think he just thought that we needed to address it upfront. I know you're a totally different Lois than my Lois, and you don't need to worry about anything."

Clark's eyes twinkled in amusement as he stared down at her. "And, I'm not arrogant enough to think that you'll fall for me, Lois. God knows, even my Lois doesn't look at Clark Kent twice. She's in love with Superman – not her bumbling, Daily Planet partner."

Immediately, Lois's irritation faded away. Her heart ached at the pained look that came to Clark's eyes at his admission. Without even realizing it, she took a few steps closer to him.

Lois gazed up at him and smiled softly. "I'm sure she does look at you twice, Clark. She's just a little confused, that's all. And, really, can you blame her? You can't expect her to love a man who only gives part of himself to her."

Clark looked down at her soberly and shook his head. "But I don't just give a part of myself to her. Who she fell with – Superman – he's who I am just as much as Clark is. And I've given her opportunities to look at Clark. She's the one who chooses not to look at him the same way she looks at Superman."

"That doesn't count, Clark. You're still hiding behind the mask when you're one or the other. You've never let her see the both of you in the same man before." Lois reached out and placed her hand on his arm. "Take my advice, Clark. When this is all over, tell her the truth. Let her see the real Clark – not the two personas you've created. Maybe she's been in love with the real Clark all along, and neither one of you even know it."

"Maybe...but it's too late now. Things are too complicated between us. I don't think we can ever go back. There's Jason and Richard…"

"So what?" Lois interrupted and shook her head. "Until there's a wedding ring on her finger, she's up for grabs. Maybe you'll tell her the truth and she'll still choose Richard. I'm not saying it's not a possibility. But I think she at least deserves to be able to make an informed decision about it. If you love her so much, you should be able to do that for her."

Clark seemed surprised by her words, but still looked doubtful.

"I can't believe you can a take a bullet to the chest, but you can't even face the slightest risk of rejection." Lois rolled her eyes. _That settles it, all men are wimps. Even invulnerable ones._

Clark considered her words for a second and then winced. "I know, you're right," Clark agreed softly. He avoided her gaze and looked out into the inky night sky.

"So you'll do it? You'll tell her?"

Clark hesitated. "Let's just say that I'm a lot closer to it than I was a few days ago."

"Okay," Lois nodded, satisfied that he'd at least come that far. "I guess I can live with that."

"Good, because I'm starving and I think the food's here," Clark responded. He glanced back at and met her eyes with a teasing smile. "Talking about my feelings always makes me work up an appetite."

Clark turned to walk back towards the house.

"Funny, it's never stopped the other Clark before," Lois replied with an answering grin, as she started to follow him. "Then again, it might explain why he eats so much."

Clark had been about to slip through the sliding doors leading into the main house, but at her words, he turned back to look at her thoughtfully.

"There is one thing I don't understand, though," Clark said, with a raised brow.

Lois stopped and looked at him curiously. "What's that?"

"You keep saying that you're not in love with Clark and he's not in love with you. It just can't be," Clark answered, with a puzzled expression.

Lois rolled her eyes. "And there you go with the arrogance again – it is possible for me to not fall in love with every Clark Kent I meet, you know. Clark Kents are not irresistible." _Except for the whole 'yes, they are' part._

Thankfully, Clark couldn't read her thoughts. He seemed to take her words at face value and responded in a serious tone, "Yes, of course I know that; just look at how my Lois thinks of me - or doesn't, actually. But that's not the part that's impossible." His deep blue eyes held her gaze as he shook his head slightly. "Don't you see - it doesn't matter what dimension it is or what year it is. In any world… in any time… there is no way Clark Kent can meet Lois Lane and not fall in love with her."

Lois's breath caught in her throat. Before she could formulate a response, he had disappeared into the house. Which was a good thing, because if he hadn't she would have said something she regretted. Something she could never take back. Something like _Well, it appears to be impossible for Lois Lane not to fall for Clark Kent, too._

But he didn't stay and she didn't utter her thoughts out loud. Instead, with a sigh of relief, Lois shook her head and tried to clear it of any romantic illusions. She shrugged and started to follow him back inside. But, before she entered the house, Lois couldn't help but cast a speculative glance over her shoulder at the stars twinkling above her. _What do you want from me?_


	10. Chapter Nine

_Thanks for all your great reviews, guys! Sorry it's taken so long to post an update._

**hbthomas:** _Of course, you can make a recommendation in your "SR" story. Thank you. I won't double post, but I'd love "SR" fans to know that this is here. (And I think the answer to your questions regarding Lois making the connection about Clark/Superman will be answered in this update. At least, I hope so.) _

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

**Gotham, 2008**

Lois took deep breaths and forced herself not to panic. She looked around the spacious guest room and made a quick mental inventory of all the things that had worked out. She'd never thought Bruce would let them in – and he had. And then she'd never thought she'd be able to convince him that she was from the future (an alternate version at that) but she'd accomplished it. And she'd managed to get this version of Bruce Wayne onboard with helping them figure out what was wrong. Which hadn't been easy, since he was young and obstinate as hell. But she'd done it.

All in all, it wasn't a bad day's work. Then why did she feel so helpless? So alone? Why didn't the weight of the world stop crushing her down? An image of Jason came to her mind and her heart broke. How was he feeling? Was he okay? _I have got to get out of here. I can't leave him alone for this long._

"Are you okay?" Chloe's concerned voice interrupted Lois's inner monologue.

Lois put the hairbrush down and swiveled around in the dressing room chair to face Chloe. Chloe looked very much like Lois herself did – with wet hair and wearing an oversized bathrobe that had been thoughtfully provided by their host. Chloe's face, like her own, was scrubbed clean of any make-up.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Lois forced a slight smile to her lips.

Chloe walked into the room and sat down on the huge bed. "No reason – I just heard you mumbling to yourself and I thought I'd come by and investigate." Chloe paused and then shot her a cheeky smirk. "I'm nosy that way."

Lois couldn't help but let out a reluctant laugh. "I see – well, I understand nosiness, I guess. I was just thinking about the situation we're in – and how I hate just sitting here waiting."

"Well, you did manage quite a bit, you know," Chloe reminded her. "Bruce Wayne admitted he was Batman and you've got him down there with Clark going through astronomical data for the night of the switch. What more can you do?"

"I know," Lois sighed in the frustration and pushed her hair out of her eyes. "It's just – how can I just go to sleep while they figure everything out? I should be down there - ."

"Except he refused to let you down there until you've had dinner and slept a bit," Chloe interrupted. "There's no point in crying over it – I want be there just as badly as you, but what can we do? Let's just go to sleep and attack it in the morning. You haven't slept in over twenty four hours and you need get some rest." Chloe glanced around the ornately decorated guest room and grinned. "I just can't believe it – do you realize that one guest room in Bruce Wayne's manor is bigger than my whole crappy apartment in Metropolis?"

Lois nodded weakly and stopped arguing. Chloe was right – what was the point? It wasn't like Bruce was going to figure it out in the next five minutes. And if he did, he would wake her up. And it wasn't like she was going to be of use to anyone if she was a walking zombie tomorrow. Still, she knew sleep was going to elude her. Thoughts of Jason would keep her awake.

"Are you okay?" Chloe asked again, this time the concern reaching her blue eyes. "You have that weird look again."

Lois shrugged. "It's nothing."

"It's not 'nothing', Lois," Chloe responded adamantly. "Look, I know that I'm not your cousin in your world, but I really do love this world's Lois. And this world's Lois has told me I'm a good listener, you know."

Lois appraised the petite blonde for a second and then smiled. "Yes, I'm sure you are. It's not that big of a deal, Chloe. I was just thinking about my son. I miss him." Lois thought for a second and then added softly, "I'm worried about him. He's never been away from me for this long. It's been over three days and he's all alone."

Chloe gazed at her sympathetically. "I know it must be hard. I mean, I don't have a kid, but I can imagine…." Chloe's voice trailed off and she looked away, like she didn't quite know what to say to Lois. Then she turned back to Lois and asked, with a puzzled look, "but what about Clark? He's there, right? And Clark is great with kids."

"Well, yes, I suppose he is," Lois answered calmly. "But he's not Jason's father, so he's not going to be taking care of him."

Startled, Chloe shook her head. "I don't get it. I thought you and Clark… Lori said…."

Lois smiled slightly at Chloe's confusion. "Yes, Lori's right – Clark is the biological father. But Lori didn't see everything. She didn't see that Clark didn't actually raise Jason – someone else did."

"What? How is that possible?" Chloe asked, grabbing a hold of a pillow from the bed and wrapped her arms around it. She looked like a little girl waiting to hear a story. "You cannot leave it there – I've gotta know."

Lois looked at her fondly and had a fleeting thought that she wished she had known Chloe in her own world. _Maybe I wouldn't have made so many stupid mistakes if I had a friend like this to keep me in check._

Lois took a deep breath and started to try to explain to Chloe what she, herself, couldn't quite figure out. "Basically, I slept with Clark about six years ago. But I didn't know he was Clark. I thought he was Superman. Something happened and he did a mind wipe, making it so that I didn't know we slept together. And then he just took off for Krypton…"

"Whoa, wait!" Chloe held her hand up, her eyes wide and horrified. "Back up… what do you mean, you didn't know it was Clark? He _tricked_ you? And then he wiped your mind? And then he just took off to a different planet? What is _wrong_ with him?"

"Um… well…" Lois thought for a second, trying to see if she knew the answer. "I have no idea. I've been asking myself that for months. I guess, at the time we slept together, I _had_ figured out that Superman and Clark were the same guy. But, later on, the mind wipe totally cleared the whole 'Clark Kent equals Superman' part out of the memories. At least, what was left of them. A few months ago, the memories of the night started coming back. But not the Clark is Superman part." Lois stared blindly at an ornate portrait on the wall in front of her and added softly, "I didn't figure out that Clark was Superman until I got here, actually. That was the only missing piece."

Chloe kept silent, processing what Lois had just explained. Instead of questioning the situation with Clark, she just pressed on. "Okay, so what happened next? I mean, what did you think when you found out you were pregnant? Immaculate conception?"

Lois winced. "Well, here's the thing. After Supe – I mean, Clark – left, I was really mad. Not just because he'd left, but mainly because he left without saying goodbye. So, this guy - Richard White - asked me out and I said yes." Lois flushed and glanced away from Chloe. "One thing led to another and I ended up sleeping with him."

Chloe gave her an unreadable look.

"Just that one time!" Lois exclaimed. "In my defense, I'd had a lot of martinis. And, technically, I _was_ single, you know."

"I know, I wasn't judging you," Chloe replied, raising her brow quizzically. "Why would I? You were an adult, you knew what you were doing. But what does this have to do with anything?"

"It has everything to do with it – that's where the mess started," Lois explained patiently. "When I found out I was pregnant, my mind immediately went to Richard. I had no memory of my time with Sup – I mean, Clark – so I thought Richard was the only possible father."

"Ooohhh," Chloe nodded, finally understanding what had happened. "So, what did this Richard guy do? Did he freak out?"

Lois shook her head. "No, he didn't freak out. He was great…totally supportive. He asked me to marry him, almost immediately. I said no, of course. We didn't even know each other – how could we get married?"

"But you're engaged to him now?" Chloe asked, starting to get confused again.

"Yeah," Lois nodded. "But we only got engaged about five months ago. We didn't even start sleeping together until a year ago." Lois saw the blank look on Chloe's face and started laughing. "Look, in the beginning, I just told Richard that he could be a part of the baby's life. But he was so close to Jason, he was pretty much always at my apartment. When Jason was about two, we decided it didn't make sense to pay rent for two different places, so we bought a house and moved in together."

Chloe smirked a bit and Lois hastened to add, "It wasn't like that. We stayed in separate bedrooms. It was like we were roommates. But then, as time went on, he was just _there_. Comfortable, you know? Like a really good pair of socks."

"A pair of socks," Chloe repeated faintly, looking a bit skeptical.

"Yup," Lois nodded firmly. She leaned forward to explain, fixing her earnest gaze on Chloe. "A pair of socks. Or a comfy, old sweater. One night, he asked if we could take our relationship to the next level. He said that he couldn't just stay there as my friend anymore. So I thought about it and it made sense -- he was the perfect father and the perfect boyfriend material. I loved him, in my own way. And he was my son's father – what more could a girl ask for? So, we started dating and it led to us getting engaged."

"But you weren't in love with him. Not really," Chloe pointed out.

"I _do_ love him," Lois insisted. "In my own way. It's just – I don't know, Chloe…I was tired of sitting there waiting for a dream that was never going to come true - ." Lois stopped abruptly, memories of her frustration and anger coming back to her.

She remembered the night she'd decided to move forward in her relationship with Richard. It was the same night she'd sat down and written her Pulitzer Prize winning article – "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman". Writing the article had been her farewell to the dreams she'd fostered that he was coming back. Little had she known that he would come back and it wouldn't be as easy to dismiss him as she had thought it would be.

"Lois? Was Clark that dream? Or, I guess I should say, _Superman_?" Chloe asked softly, interrupting Lois's thoughts.

Lois met her eyes for a moment and then admitted, "I don't know. I always thought it was Superman. But what do I know? He was Clark Kent the whole time and I didn't even see it."

Chloe nodded sympathetically. "Don't feel bad, Lois. Clark's fooled a lot of people before. He dupes people in this world all the time and he doesn't even have a costume. No one can blame you for not seeing through his disguise."

"Have all those other people had a child with him? Thought they were in love with him? Worked side by side with him for years?" Lois asked dryly, folding her arms across her chest. "I don't think it's the same thing, at all."

Chloe hesitated and answered slowly. "Well, I've been in love with him. And I was his best friend for years. And I didn't figure it out."

Lois's eyes widened in surprise and dismay. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know…." Lois's voice trailed off and then she pinned her curious gaze on Chloe. "Are you in love with him now? That must be hard – seeing him with Lori."

"No," Chloe shook her head and smiled ruefully. "I figured out a long time ago that Clark and I aren't destined to be together. I still love him as a friend, but I'm not _in_ love with him." Chloe paused and added thoughtfully, "But that's not to say that Clark being with Lori doesn't bug me. But that's for a whole other set of reasons."

"Why?" Lois frowned and proceeded to indulge her own genetic disposition towards nosiness. "If you're not in love with him why does it bother you that he's with Lori?"

Chloe shrugged. "It's hard to explain, but I think he's with her for the wrong reasons. I think the only reason he's with Lori is because there's no work involved. He never has to worry about her accepting him, because she just read his mind and figured out who he was from the beginning. I think he's afraid to think that he can just be with a normal, mortal woman…so he's holding himself back from who he's really supposed to be with."

_So Chloe's trying to play matchmaker._ Lois looked at her thoughtfully and bit back a smile. "And I take it that you have that perfect, normal, mortal woman in mind for him?"

"Yeah," Chloe nodded, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "You – or, rather, this universe's version of you. I've always sensed something between them, right from the beginning. And now that _this_ all happened, I'm thinking I wasn't that off. There has to be a connection between your relationship with Clark in your world and Lois's relationship with Clark in this world. It's the only constant between the two universes."

Lois rolled her eyes at the romantic sentiment. She didn't want to burst Chloe's bubble, but she couldn't help but point out the obvious. "Except, of course, Clark and I aren't together in our world. And, apparently, this world's Clark and Lois have no desire to be together, either." Lois thought about it and then concluded softly. "Then again, that _could_ be the constant – no matter what universe it is, Lois and Clark are not meant to be."

"Maybe that's why you're here, Lois. To find out that you're wrong."

**Metropolis, 2019**

"I just don't understand it," Bruce murmured softly to himself as he continued to type away on the laptop set out on the coffee table.

The living room was covered was printouts of statistical data and various charts and diagrams. Right after they'd finished eating, Bruce had taken over the study and living room in hopes of hunting down any information they could find that would lead them to the tiny scientist that they were convinced had started it all.

Clark looked up from the stack of data he'd been analyzing at super-speed in the corner of the room. His brow rose as he looked at his friend. "What don't you understand?"

"I can't get to this data," Bruce explained, typing faster on keyboard in front of him. He frowned at the screen. "I found some intriguing information regarding research about that night's freak storm. It's taken me to a locked file in the FBI archives." He shrugged, clearly irritated by his inability to get access the data. "It might not be anything, but I want to at least check it out."

Lois glanced up from the chart she'd been looking at and rubbed at her tired eyes. She'd been trying to see if she could recognize the stars she'd been looking at right before the lightening struck, but the diagrams were starting to blur in her exhaustion. "I thought you could hack into anything."

Bruce scowled again. "So did I… but this one's blocking me. The codes are impossible to crack. And every time I get too close, the programmer set it up so his computer sends a virus out. If I didn't have a top of the line program, my whole network would have been wiped out." Bruce typed something in and then squinted at the screen as he admitted begrudgingly, "Whoever this C. Sullivan person is, he's good. I may have to steal him and have him join Wayne Industries. It shouldn't be hard – we definitely pay more than the U.S. government."

"C. Sullivan?" Lois squeaked, the chart in her hands dropping to the floor in her haste to get to the computer. "How do you know it's a he? It's gotta be a she."

Lois whipped the laptop around to face her and Bruce gave her a startled look. "Ah…right, of course. It could very well be a she – sorry for the assumption."

Bruce sent Clark a look and remarked with a lifted brow, "She's trying to be politically correct _now_?" Clark tried not to laugh. It was all lost on Lois, as she frantically tried to decipher the code on the screen. Finally, she gave up and turned it back to face Bruce.

"Check to see if the 'C' stand for Chloe," Lois demanded impatiently, completely unaware that very few people in the world talked to Bruce Wayne in that tone and got away with it. Luckily, Lois Lane was one of the few people, so Bruce let it slide.

After a moment, his search turned up results. He leaned back against the cushions and read the profile out loud. "You're right – it does stand for Chloe. Special Agent Chloe Sullivan, to be precise. She's been with the Bureau for eight years. She got a Bachelor's degree in computer science from M.I.T. back in 2009. She earned her Master's from Stanford right after that in 2011. She's been with the FBI ever since."

Clark eyed Lois curiously. "How did you know who she was?"

"I didn't," Lois admitted faintly. Her knees felt weak and she sat down on the coffee table. "I just thought…" Lois's voice trailed off and she stared off into space for second.

_It's Chloe, but it's not Chloe. Can she be the same Chloe? She has to be._

Then Lois shook her head briskly and explained to the two men in the room, "Chloe Sullivan is my cousin in my world. This cannot be a coincidence. We need to go talk to her."

Lois got up purposefully from the table and started to walk out of the room. Clark and Bruce exchanged a look.

"Lois, we can't go right now," Clark said gently, as he put his hand on her shoulder to stop her from leaving the room. He steered her back towards a comfy sofa in the corner of the room. "You haven't slept since you left the hospital. You're exhausted. It's two in the morning."

"And that's why they make coffee, Smallville," Lois said impatiently, shrugging his hand off her shoulder. For the first time, she felt a ray of hope. If this universe was showing her the way to Chloe, it _had_ to mean something. There was no way she was just going go to sleep.

"Lois, we can't leave Jason," Clark pointed out, realizing that her exhaustion wasn't going to stop her. "Tomorrow, you can call Richard and let him know that we're taking Jason to my mother's for the day. He'll think it's weird, but you can make something up. And, after that, the three of us will go to Agent Sullivan's office and see what we can find out." Lois opened her mouth to argue, but he cut her off firmly. "After we all get a good night's sleep. You won't be of use to anyone if you're a walking zombie tomorrow."

"He's right, Lois. Not to mention that fact that Agent Sullivan isn't going to be pleased if we wake her up right now, either," Bruce added in, figuring that should stop her. "We need to have your cousin alert and willing to talk to us – not sleepy and mad."

Lois stared at the two of them for a second, struggling to fight the exhaustion taking over her body. Finally, a ghost of a smile played around her lips as she agreed reluctantly. "Well, Chloe does like her beauty sleep. Okay, fine. But first thing tomorrow morning, we go."

Bruce nodded in agreement, casting another sharp glance at the screen. "Definitely. Trust me, I'm just as curious as you are."


	11. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten **

**Gotham, 2008**

Lois stared up at the night sky, taking a deep breath – and then choked a bit when the polluted Gotham air filled her lungs.

"Couldn't sleep, huh?" Clark's voice asked her from the doorway.

Lois whirled around to face him, pulling her robe tighter around her body. She felt silly in the flannel cartoon pajamas she'd packed for their trip. Apparently, this Lois liked to dress like a 5 year old when she went to sleep.

"Are you okay?" Clark asked, with a hint of concern. He was still dressed in his jeans and a red t-shirt, looking completely wide awake and alert.

"Um…yeah…I just thought I'd get some fresh air." Lois glanced at the smoggy Gotham skyline in the distance. "Ah… in a manner of speaking."

"So you thought you'd hang out here?" Clark replied, with a knowing grin. "It's okay – I know you were trying to sneak into Bruce's cave, Lois." He held out a mug to her. "Hot chocolate? Fresh from the stove."

Lois reached out to take the steaming beverage from him. She glanced down, blowing on it a bit to cool it off. She glanced at Clark, with a raised brow, and tried holding back a smile. "Sneaking into Bruce's Batcave? I have no clue what you're talking about."

Clark tapped the corner of his eye. "X-ray vision, remember?"

"Right," Lois nodded, with a sheepish shrug. "Why didn't you try to help me get in if you knew I was out there?"

"Because Bruce is right; you need to sleep. There's nothing going on down there that you can help with, anyway."

"That's easy for you to say," Lois shot back. She let out a deep sigh of frustration and rolled her eyes. "Because _you're_ down there in the loop. I hate being out of the loop. If there's a loop, I should be in it! Hell, I should be the one _creating_ the loop!"

Clark's amused smile turned into a full blown laugh. "You sound just like Lois. She doesn't like being left out, either. And she's also got control issues."

"Control issues?" Lois sniffed. "I'd like to see how you'd react if _you_ hurtled through time and space into another dimension."

"Ah…well…" Clark hesitated and then admitted, "Yeah, I'd be pretty freaked out, too. But that doesn't mean that I wouldn't rest. You have to take care of yourself, Lois. And we're just trying to look out for you."

"I know." Lois contemplated him over the rim of her mug. She glanced down at her watch and realized it was almost two in the morning. "Why aren't _you_ asleep?"

"Um…" Clark looked down at his drink, as though he were suddenly fascinated by the floating marshmallows. "I don't need sleep as much as the average human. I can go a week or so without it."

Lois blinked in surprise. "Oh." She thought back to all the talks she'd had with Superman. His sleeping patterns had definitely not come up in conversation. "I didn't know that. That's kind of cool. It must come in handy."

Clark gave her a half smile and shrugged. "I guess – I've never thought about it before."

Lois took a sip of her drink, wondering if she should just ask the question floating around in her mind. The reason she hadn't been able to sleep. The thought that just wouldn't go away.

They both spoke simultaneously.

"So, Chloe told me - " Clark started.

"Clark, I want to ask you something - " Lois said.

They both started laughing.

"Go ahead," Clark said, taking a seat on a patio chair in the corner of the terrace. "What do you want to ask?"

"No, it's fine," Lois insisted. "You go ahead. It wasn't important."

Clark shook his head. "I wasn't going to say anything important, either. I was just going to tell you that I bumped into Chloe, and she told me that you told her everything about Jason." Clark looked chagrined. "She's not really happy with me right now."

Lois winced. "Oh, sorry about that."

"It's okay," Clark tilted his head to the side and gave her a slight grin. "She'll get it over it, I'm sure. So… what did you want to ask me?"

Lois's flushed and she glanced away from him. "Nothing… I mean… it's really none of my business. I just… well… Chloe has a theory and I just felt that we should explore it." She risked a peek at him, and saw that he looked perplexed. Which made sense, of course, because she wasn't really explaining it very well. Lois took a deep breath, deciding to just spit out the question that had been on her mind. "Clark, are you in love with Lois?"

Clark had been about to take a drink of his hot chocolate, but he stopped with it halfway to his lips. He became very still and gazed at her for a second. "Why would you ask me that?"

"Because Chloe has a theory that the reason I'm here has something to do with me and my Clark. And you and your Lois."

"I don't…" Clark stopped and raked his fingers through his hair in agitation. "I don't really see how that's relevant."

"Well, in my world, Clark has a crush on me," Lois tried to explain. "He has since the first day we met. And, so… I guess… I'm trying to figure out if there are any parallels. Like you and your Lois - ?" Lois stopped talking, feeling uncomfortable with the direction of this conversation. _Chloe, I'm going to kill you for putting this in my mind._

"No," Clark's gaze was unwavering as he shook his head slowly. "I didn't fall in love with Lois the first time I met her." Clark paused for a second and then, in an almost casual tone, asked, "Are you in love with Clark?"

Lois's jaw dropped at the question. _Well you have to answer it – after all, you asked him. Not answering would make you a hypocrite, Lane._

Lois bit her lip and answered as honestly as she could manage. "If you asked me six years ago, I would have said that I loved him. I loved Superman as much as any woman can love someone. I didn't know him very well, but I thought it didn't matter. I thought I knew _enough_ to know that I was loving who he really was – that the superficial things didn't matter. But now…" Lois's voice trailed off, and she took another fortifying sip of her hot chocolate. "I thought I loved him, but I don't even know him, do I? How can you love someone who pretends to be someone else every day? Who is he, anyway? Is he really Clark Kent or is he really Superman? Is he pretending to be Clark Kent or is he pretending to be Superman?" Lois gazed at Clark and finished flatly, "you can't love someone who's not real, Clark."

Clark looked at her thoughtfully as though he were mulling over her words. "Maybe he's both. I'm not sure what exactly made him decide to adopt this dual identity, but he must have had a good reason, Lois. Maybe you were so caught up in one version that you just couldn't see that both versions were the same person inside."

Lois felt a hint of irritation at his words. _Of course he'd side with Clark on this one._ "It's not my fault he looked me straight in the eye and lied to me everyday. It's not my fault he chose to hide behind a secret identity and never bothered to tell me what the reality was. He made that choice, Clark – not me." Lois let out a breath and closed her eyes. "He's the one who decided he didn't love _me_ enough to tell me who he really was."

"Maybe he was afraid."

Lois opened her eyes. "Afraid of what? The man's invulnerable."

"Yeah, physically," Clark agreed. "But not emotionally. He may not be human, but he's got human emotions, Lois. Maybe he was afraid that you wouldn't accept him if he told you the truth. Maybe he was afraid that if he _did_ tell you that you wouldn't be able to handle such a big secret."

Lois snorted and rolled her eyes. "That's a cop-out. He was afraid of rejection? I spent hours talking to Clark about how much I loved Superman. Everyone knew it – I made a fool out of myself. I never gave him any reason to think that I'd reject him. That I wouldn't love him, no matter what. And even if there was a chance that I wouldn't understand, why couldn't he take that chance?" Lois paused and shook her head bitterly. "I wasn't even worth that much?"

Clark stared at her for a second with an unreadable look in his eyes. Suddenly, he set his cup down on the patio table decisively and stood up. He held out one hand and said, "C'mon. We're going to take a trip."

"Where are we going?" Lois asked warily. But she went ahead and placed her hand in his.

"We're going to Smallville," Clark replied as he lifted her up effortlessly.

Lois shot him a confused look. "What?"

He didn't answer, and she prepared herself for the flight. It never happened. Instead, he ran at full speed for fifteen minutes while Lois held on for dear life. By the time he stopped, she was convinced she'd suffered at least three heart attacks on the way there. He slid her to her feet, holding onto her waist to steady her. When she'd regained feeling in both of her legs and hands, she glared up at him and smacked him in the chest.

**Metropolis, 2019 **

Chloe leaned back in her seat and appraised them with frank disbelief. "Let me get this straight: you're telling me that you took an inter-dimensional jump from one universe to another? And fast forwarded eleven years into the future on top of that? And you're asking me to help you get back?" Chloe rested her elbows on her desk and steeled her fingers, thinking through everything. Her blue eyes were as cold as ice. "Is this some sort of joke? Because I'm not laughing."

Lois sighed and rolled her eyes. They'd spent the better portion of the past two hours trying to get to her office, and once they were in, to convince her that they were telling the truth. It didn't seem to be working.

Lois looked over her younger cousin critically. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a classic chignon, and she was wearing an expensively cut navy blue suit. The suit was in late 40s style, just like Lois's own clothes, complete with a high waist and padded shoulder pads. Chloe looked older, much more sophisticated, and appeared to be lacking any sense of humor whatsoever. Apparently this Chloe was a colossal pain in the ass.

Lois opened her mouth to tell Chloe exactly that, but she was interrupted by Bruce.

"Agent Sullivan," Bruce interjected, with a warning look towards Lois. "I assure you that we are not joking and we came to you for a reason."

Bruce went on to explain how he had stumbled up on her data and realized that they needed to talk to her get access to the rest of it. Lois tuned him out as he went into details and looked around the office curiously. There were no pictures of any family members or any indication that Chloe had a life outside of work. She snuck a peek at Chloe's ring finger and saw that it was bare.

Chloe's angry voice jerked Lois out her thoughts. "You managed to get to that file? How? I encrypted that code myself, and the fact that you even got to a place that contained my name at all is impossible." Chloe stood up and glared at Bruce. "Not to mention completely illegal. That was classified information. I could have you arrested right now."

Rather than looking offended, Bruce simply looked amused. "On what grounds? You can't prove it. No one would believe that a playboy billionaire managed to hack into the FBI mainframe in his spare time." Bruce paused and then added with a sly smile, "And even if they did, I pay a lot of attorneys a lot of money to convince people to believe what I tell them to believe."

"Of course," Chloe nodded coolly. "How could I forget? I'm talking to the illustrious Bruce Wayne." Chloe crossed her arms and considered him for a second, a calculating gleam appearing in her eyes. "Tell me again, why are you here, anyway? I mean, I know why he's here," Chloe pointed towards a silent Clark. "He's her partner, and she's obviously off her rocker. But what does that have to do with you? Why would Bruce Wayne be interested in a Daily Planet journalist who's completely flipped her lid?"

"Hey, that's totally uncalled for," Lois shot back, offended by the derision in Chloe's tone. "Just because you're some hotshot FBI person does not mean you get talk about me like that. I can still kick your ass, you know."

Chloe stared at her for a moment and then her mouth twitched a bit. After a beat, she let out a reluctant laugh. She sat back down and, for the first time, offered Lois a genuine smile. "I highly doubt you can 'kick my ass' but I do remember that about you. You always had to get the last word, and I always followed you around everywhere. And if I didn't you would always have some threat ready or call me a baby or something." Chloe shook her head slightly, a small smile tugging at her lips. "I remember doing some pretty stupid things just because you dared me to do it."

Lois smiled at her fondly. It was true – she did used to bully Chloe around when they were little. Of course, Chloe had managed to turn the tables on her more than once as they got older.

"So you did know each other in this world." Clark said, finally breaking his silence. "I thought you didn't."

Chloe glanced at him and shook her head. "No, we don't know each other. The last time I saw Lois was when I was about eight. Right before we moved from Metropolis to New York. "

"Why'd you guys lose touch?" Lois asked. She couldn't help but feel sorry for the Lois and Chloe of this universe. She shuddered, not wanting to imagine life without her best friend.

"Ah…" Chloe hesitated and then, with a pointed look, corrected her. "You mean, why did _we_ lose touch."

"No," Lois shook her head slowly. "I mean, _you guys_ – I told you that I'm not the Lois of this world. I have no clue why you guys aren't close. In my world, Chloe Sullivan is my best friend and – really – the only relative I can stand."

Chloe gave a sigh of defeat and must have decided to play along. "Okaaaay… well… we just lost touch the way kids lose touch, I guess. After I moved to New York, things were just so different. And you…um… I mean, Lois… was always moving to some other country. It was impossible to keep track of her." Chloe shrugged. "There was always so much to do at school and I had a lot of friends. You know what it's like - I just didn't have time to track down a cousin living in another country somewhere. I sent some letters, they got sent back to me. I meant to try to hunt down her new addresses but I never did. And she didn't send me information, either, so…." Chloe shrugged again, like it was of no importance.

"Just like that?" Lois asked, her voice cracking a bit.

It was true that she'd moved around a lot, but Chloe had always written to her. And the first thing she would do when she moved to a new country was to write Chloe with her new address. Her Chloe had never been too busy to send her letters filled with the zany activities of her small town's residents.

Lois frowned as a thought occurred to her. "So when did you move to Smallville? After you moved to New York?"

"Smallville?" Chloe raised her brow quizzically. "Where's that?"

Clark had been taking notes, but at the question he looked up. "It's a town in Kansas."

"Oh," Chloe shook her head slightly. "I've never lived there and I can assure that I would never live in a place that actually has the word 'small' in its name. That's not really my style."

"Hey, Smallville's not that bad," Lois defended automatically, with an apologetic look towards Clark. "Clark's from Smallville."

Chloe looked startled. "Oh sorry, no offense."

Clark gave her an easy grin. "None taken – I'm used to it."

Chloe smiled back and then stood up, giving an air of one who was done with the meeting. "While this has been interesting, I really have to go back to work now." She turned towards Lois and held out her hand. "It was nice taking a trip down memory lane with you, Lois. But next time try sending an e-mail – minus the weird stories."

Lois hesitated and tightened her grip on Chloe's hand, reluctant to leave. She couldn't just give up. _If we were led to her, it has got to mean something. She has to have a part in this. She just doesn't know it._

Lois made one last ditch, desperate attempt to get through to the other woman. She prayed that this universe's Chloe's life paralleled her cousin's life enough to make her plan work. "Chloe, you were raised by your dad, right? Your mom left you when you were little?" Lois looked into Chloe's eyes, registering that her cousin had taken her hand back but was listening intently. "Your dad told you that she'd left the family, but later on you did some research and figured out that she'd been hospitalized – in a psychiatric hospital."

Chloe nodded in agreement. But when she spoke, her voice was testy. "You're right, but I don't see what that has to do with anything. We've already established that your friend here," Chloe indicated towards Bruce curtly, "can hack into anything. Medical records would be nothing for him."

"True," Lois agreed, her eyes not wavering from Chloe's face. "But here's something that's not public record: your mother kept journals her whole life – before she was admitted to the hospital."

Chloe's eyes widened imperceptibly and she stiffened.

_Bingo_, Lois thought triumphantly.

"When you finally managed to track her down and you confronted your father, he gave them all to you. He'd been hiding them because he didn't want you to figure things out." Lois paused and finished softly. "A couple of years ago, Chloe told me that she's never read the journals because she's afraid of what she'll find in them. She's scared that she'll be able to pinpoint exactly when her mother started to get sick – and that she won't be able to handle it. Because she's always thought it was her fault – and she's always been afraid her mother actually wrote that in the journals."

Chloe sat down abruptly, gazing up at Lois with an odd look on her face.

Lois smiled to herself, knowing her gamble had paid off. Before Chloe could answer, she continued, "Because it's always better to _think_ it's your fault than to…." Lois purposely let her voice trail off.

"_Know_ it's your fault," Chloe finished, staring at Lois in amazement.

Lois nodded sympathetically. "That's what Chloe said."

Chloe was silent and she picked a pen, beginning to roll it between her fingers nervously. Finally, she glanced up at Lois. "I don't know how you know all that, but I don't really see how my relationship with my mother is relevant."

"No, it's about trust," Lois explained. "I bet you've never told anyone about this. Or, if you have, it's only someone you love and trust a lot. Like my Chloe loves and trusts me in my world. I need you to trust me like that, Chloe." Lois's eyes pleaded with the younger woman as she leaned over the desk. "Can you?"

Chloe considered her words for a moment and then stood up. She moved towards the window, staring out into the rain for several minutes. Clark, Lois and Bruce kept silent, waiting for her speak.

When she finally turned back around, her eyes had a bit of a sparkle to them. "If what you're telling me is true – and I'm not sure I still _completely_ believe you – but if what you're tell me is true, then this is life altering."

Bruce and Clark exchanged a concerned frown.

Lois just let out of sigh of relief and happiness. "Well, it's a start." Then she stopped and asked hesitantly, "What do you mean, life altering?"

"I've been working on a project for the past few years," Chloe explained, while walking towards a filing cabinet in the corner of her office. She opened a drawer and pulled out a thick file. "It deals with the possibility of multi-universe parallels."

"Wait, you knew that what Lois was saying was a possibility and you still didn't believe her?" Clark asked, standing up to his full height. His arms crossed and, even with the glasses and suit, he still seemed formidable. He scowled at down at Chloe. "You said you thought she was off her rocker. You didn't even mention that you've been studying this exact same subject for years."

"With all due respect, Mr. Kent, this isn't the first time I've spoken with people who are convinced they've made some inter-galactic jump," Chloe countered, with a roll of her eyes. "I follow every story out there with these types of claims – I've met and interviewed dozens of kooks. I had no reason to suspect that Lois was the real deal."

"But you're cousins," Clark argued. "How can you not believe your own relative?"

Lois jumped between them and held out a hand to stop Clark from talking. "It's okay, Smallville. The defense of my honor is appreciated but really not needed. Not right now, okay?"

While they'd been arguing, Bruce had grabbed the file out of Chloe's hands and had started going through the papers. At this point, he glanced up from the file and nodded. "I agree – Agent Sullivan had every right to question Lois's story." He sent an admiring look Chloe's way and added, "I would have done the same thing. It's to be respected."

Chloe looked utterly unimpressed by his approval, and tried to take the file back from him.

Clark set his jaw and glared at his friend. "Really?" Clark replied, through clenched teeth. "Are you forgetting whose side we're on?"

"Well, we're all on the same side, Mr. Kent," Chloe pointed out. "If what Lois is saying is true – "

"It _is_ true," Clark shot back. "Stop saying _if_ – she's telling the truth."

Chloe ignored the interruption. "If what she's saying is true – and a few simple tests should prove it – then this will change the face of how we view our universe. Science will never be the same." Chloe eyes were shining in excitement as she turned to Lois. "Your name will go down in history."

Lois's eyes widened in alarm and she took a step back. "I don't want to go down in your history, Chloe. I just want to go home. That's what I came here for – I need you to help me. Not make things worse."

"Of course, I know. And I will help get you back," Chloe assured her. "But if we learn a bit more before you go…?"

"No," Bruce replied tersely, before Lois could say anything. He stood up, his keen eyes probing Chloe's. "We didn't come here for you to turn Lois into some sort of guinea pig. I can understand your excitement and your natural desire to turn this situation to your advantage. However, you will have to suppress your nature in this case. Once Lois has been returned to her world and order restored, you can pursue the answers to the mysteries of the universe to your heart's content." Bruce paused and then finished softly, "But while she's here, she's under my protection and no one – not you or anyone else in the government – is going to turn her into a lab rat."

"Is that supposed to be a threat, Mr. Wayne?" Chloe responded coolly, one brow raised in question. "Because I don't think I need to remind you that _I_ didn't seek you out. You came to _me_. So your bravado, while vastly entertaining, doesn't have much of an impact." Chloe eyed him closely. "You have no way of getting her back, do you? And my research is your only lead. To get to it, you need to go through me. I may not be a billionaire, Mr. Wayne, but I have brains. And, sometimes, that's a more valuable commodity than money."

The two stared at each other, locked in a silent battle of wills. Lois glanced between the two of them helplessly, at a loss on what to say or do. _Okay, this isn't how I was expecting this to go down._

Unexpectedly, Clark cleared his throat, giving Lois a reassuring wink. "There is one commodity that's more valuable than money or brains."

Chloe turned to Clark with a look of polite disinterest. "Oh? And what would that be, Mr. Kent?"

"DNA," Clark responded easily, with a flash of his typical grin. "Specifically, alien DNA. Since you're so interested in things that are out of this world, what if I guarantee to you that I'll give you a vial of Superman's blood – in exchange for you helping us get Lois home?"

"What?" Chloe jaw dropped in surprise. She looked dumbfounded. "How can you do that?"

"Clark!" Lois shook her head, distressed. "You can't do that." She glanced at Chloe and amended, "Um… _we_ can't do that. We can't expect Superman to take that kind of risk for me – what if the blood gets in the wrong hands?"

"It's okay, Lois," Clark smiled at her, his eyes showing a hint of tenderness and love. "I'm sure we can convince Superman. I know that he would do anything to make sure you get back to your world safe. And that this world's Lois gets back here safely." Clark shrugged as he finished soft smile, "A few drops of blood is a small price to pay."

Lois swallowed and looked away, unable to formulate a response that did justice to what he offered. She may be new to the whole game, but even she knew the magnitude of the risk he was taking. Once he gave the blood sample, it was out of his hands. He'd never have control over it again – it could fall into the wrong hands, scientists could use it to conduct unethical experiments – people might even figure out how to destroy him. She shook her head. _There is no way I can let him do this._

"Okay, Mr. Kent," Chloe reached out a hand to shake Clark's. "I accept your terms. I'll help Lois Lane in anyway that I can – in the strictest confidence. And, in exchange, I'll get a vial of Superman's blood." Chloe eyed Clark speculatively. "Although I don't really see how you can make that guarantee on his behalf. How do I know I can trust you?"

"I'll have Superman come by and give you his guarantee in person," Clark answered calmly. "I hope you can trust his word?"

"Truth, justice and the American way?" Chloe laughed slightly and shrugged. "Yeah, I can trust his word. Superman never lies – everyone knows that."

Bruce had been silent throughout this exchange, but now he finally asked Clark, with a concerned frown. "Are you sure, Clark? This is a huge thing to ask Superman to do. Have you thought of the consequences?"

"Yeah," Lois jumped in, gesturing towards Bruce. "What he just said – I don't think Superman should do this."

"I'll be sure to convey your disapproval when I talk to him," Clark replied, with an amused smile. "But I bet you he's going to do it, anyway."

"But I don't want him to," Lois argued, shaking her head stubbornly. "He's taking the risk for me and I don't want him to – that's gotta count for something."

"Lois, I'm not asking him to do it just for you," Clark reminded her gently.

Suddenly, it all clicked into place. Lois took a deep breath and nodded. "Right, of course."

He wasn't doing it just for her – he was doing it for the other Lois. The love of his life. He was risking everything for the woman he loved. So she could make it back here to him.

"I guess I can't argue this one, huh?" Lois asked, with a wry smile.

"No, this is one argument Lois Lane's not going to win," Clark responded, with the barest hint of laughter in his eyes.

Lois turned to Chloe, who'd been watching the two with deep interest. "Okay, Chloe – the deal's been made. Tell us everything you know."

**Smallville, 2008**

"Why didn't you fly? It would have been safer!"

Clark looked down at her quizzically. "I don't know how to fly. This was the fastest way to get here."

"You don't - ?" Lois started and then stopped. She shivered a bit as she wrapped the robe around herself tighter and looked around. "Where are we?"

"This is my elementary school," Clark replied, pointing towards a red brick building close by. "And this is the playground I used to play in when I had recess."

Lois squinted and blinked a few times, trying to adjust her eyes to the dim light. Sure enough, there was a small playground, complete with swings and monkey bars.

Clark walked over to the slide and pointed towards the ground. "Right here is where I got into a fight with Tommy Arnold in kindergarten."

"Um, okay…"

Clark glanced up and elaborated a bit. "He was making fun of me because I was adopted. Said that my real parents didn't want me because I was a loser and they paid the Kents a million dollars to take me in."

Horrified, Lois's hand went to her mouth. "Clark, that's terrible."

Clark shrugged. "That's what kids do – they're mean to each other. Anyway, I got mad and I shoved him." Clark swallowed and looked away. "I broke his collarbone and dislocated his shoulder."

"Oh," Lois said faintly. She tried to think of a better response, but didn't really know what to say.

Clark didn't seem to expect to her say anything, because he just continued grimly, "I was lucky that the teachers didn't see what happened – they just thought Tommy fell into the slide at a weird angle. My parents spent hours sitting down with me and 'teaching' me how to play after that. I was scared to touch the other kids for years. Most of the time I just skipped recess and went to the library to read."

Lois shook her head and bit her lip. "I'm so sorry."

Clark glanced at her, but he didn't say anything. He walked towards the building until they reached a large row of windows. Clark gestured towards it, with a slight, almost nostalgic, smile. "That's the library. I finished reading all the books in there by the time I finished first grade."

"All of them?" Lois repeated. "How many were there?"

"Hundreds – maybe thousands," Clark shrugged. "The usual amount in a school library, I guess. I told the teacher one day that I'd read all the books and she got mad at me – because, of course, she though I was lying. She called my parents in for a parent/teacher conference."

"What'd your parents say?"

"They said I was lying," Clark answered calmly. "What were they going to say? Admit that their first grader read every book in the library – including books for fifth graders?"

"Right, of course," Lois agreed.

"I started getting homework in second grade and a teacher noticed that I was really smart. She wanted to put me in a special school for the gifted and talented. My parents freaked out that people would notice me more if I was in a smaller school. And they couldn't afford to have people look at me that closely."

"What did they do?"

Clark smiled wryly. "All the other kids would have their parents help them get the answers right in their homework. My parents sat down with me every night and helped me get some of the answers wrong. I spent my whole life trying to be pretend to be dumber than I actually was – I had to work hard to show that I was just an _average_ student."

"You're kidding me, right?" Lois looked at him blankly. "There are kids who make straight As without problems, you know. It wouldn't have been that big of a deal."

Clark gave her a look. "My parents were afraid that people would start piecing all the things together. If I was just smart, then, yeah, they could have just worked with that. If I was just strong, they could have dealt with that. The problem was that I had _too_ many things that were different about me. They were constantly afraid that someone would take me away from them." Clark paused and finished softly. "That was my biggest fear, too – that someone would take me away and I'd never get to see my family again."

Lois sat down on the bench and stared sightlessly at a weed growing near the sidewalk. An image of Jason came unbidden to her mind. She remembered the look on his face when he pushed the piano to save her. She didn't want to, but she couldn't help but feel her anger towards Clark start to a fade a bit. Lois sighed and shook her head. _Just because growing up was hard for him doesn't mean that what he did was right,_ she reminded herself.

Before she could say the same thing to Clark, he'd picked her up again. "Hold on," Clark said, tightening his hold on her.

This time he ran a bit slower and when they stopped again, they were in front of a big building that Lois could easily recognize as a high school.

"This is the high school I went to with Chloe," Clark said, as he climbed up the front steps. Lois followed behind him. "My friend Pete went here, too – we'd been friends our whole life. Until he moved."

"That sucks," Lois replied. "I moved around a lot when I was in school and it makes school really hard."

Clark glanced back at her, with a raised brow. "Pete found my spaceship, and I told him who I was. He was kidnapped and tortured by someone who wanted to find out more about me. At the end, Pete was so afraid that his knowledge of my abilities would put me in danger that he moved."

"I don't get it," Lois replied, with a confused look. "How could he put you in danger?"

"Because he's only human – he was afraid that he'd slip up and reveal my secret to the wrong people." Clark shook his head sadly. "I trusted him more than he trusted himself."

Lois winced. "So I take it that you guys don't keep in touch?"

"No."

Lois studied him critically. "So you didn't have any friends other than Chloe and Lois?"

"Chloe was my friend, but I didn't meet Lois until my senior year." Clark paused and then laughed a bit. "And I wouldn't say that Lois and I were friends at first sight. At least, it took awhile before we _admitted_ we were friends."

"Well, at least you had one friend," Lois murmured under her breath, with a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, Chloe was my friend, but we weren't as close as we are now," Clark replied."I couldn't trust her with any knowledge of who I was, so I spent most of my time lying to her."

Puzzled, Lois frowned and crossed her arms. "I don't get it - Chloe seems nice enough. Why didn't you trust her?"

"Because she wasn't like this back then," Clark answered.

Lois followed him as he started walking towards the back of the school, waiting for him to elaborate.

"Chloe had thing called the 'Wall of Weird' – she was obsessed with finding anything that was odd and reporting it to the world. I was afraid that she'd make me of her 'exhibits'." Clark shrugged and glanced back to look at her. "When Chloe did find out, though, she surprised me. She's been a great friend."

Lois nodded and made a face. "You'd have saved yourself a lot of time and energy if you'd just told her. See, Clark? You shouldn't underestimate people."

"But I didn't know she'd be able to handle it." Clark protested. "Especially after what happened with Pete."

"You were copping out," Lois argued. "Taking the easy way." A part of her knew that she was being unnecessarily harsh on him, but she couldn't help but feel like he was just like the Clark of her world – deciding for everyone else what was right for them and never trusting anyone to think for themselves. And just like her Clark, he refused to see that he could be wrong.

"The easy way?" Clark repeated incredulously. "You're kidding, right? You think it was easy?" In his anger, he started walking faster and Lois had to almost run to catch up with him. They stopped in front of a football field.

Clark thrust his hands in his pockets, his jaw clenched as he looked across the field. He was obviously trying to control his temper.

She felt a twinge of guilt at what she'd said – after all, it wasn't this Clark's fault that her Clark was an annoying liar. She was just about to apologize, when he spoke.

"The first girl I ever had a crush on used to wear this necklace," Clark stated in a soft tone. "It was made of Kryptonite. I didn't know, though. I just thought I was such a klutz around her because she made me nervous. But it turned out that I was allergic to the meteor rock and that's what made me get like that."

Lois nodded, knowing full well the effect the green rock had on him.

"It took awhile, but we finally ended up going out." Clark turned to look at her right at her, as he stated in a matter of fact way, "I proposed to her one day. And she said yes."

Lois's mouth fell open. _Okay, I wasn't expecting that._ She forced a smile to her lips. "I take it didn't work out, huh? I mean, you are with Lori, after all – not married to some high school sweetheart."

"Yeah, you could say that," Clark answered, with an odd smile. "I broke up with Lana because I couldn't tell her who I really was. I always had an excuse not to tell her – either she wasn't ready. Or I wasn't ready. Or I was worried about her safety. Or…" Clark's voice trailed off. "There was always a reason. At some point, it just became too hard to hide who I really was and become the person she wanted me to be. So, I stopped trying."

Lois took a deep breath and crossed her arms. Is that what had stopped Clark in her world from talking to her? Did he think she wanted him to be someone he wasn't? Because she would _never_ do that to anyone.

Clark focused in on Lois and took a step closer to her. "Lois," he began softly, taking her hand in his. "I'm not telling you all of this to make you feel bad. I've changed a lot since my time in school – I've moved on and I've figured out a lot of things."

"Then why _are_ you telling me all this?"

"Because I think you don't understand what it's like to be him. Your Clark – you don't understand how hard it is for him. But I do – I spent most of my life thinking there was something wrong with me. I really felt like no one could understand me or what I was going through. Understand how hard it was to be what everyone wanted. "

"But he – and you – have friends and family who love you. That _has_ to count for something, Clark," Lois countered. Since she had absolutely no relationship with her own father, there was a part of her who envied the life he'd had with his adoptive parents.

"Yeah, but it's not always enough," Clark responded with a shrug. "My father wanted me to be honorable. Always do the right thing. It's not easy living up to that example and expectation. My mother wanted me to be happy, but she couldn't understand how to do that for me. Lana – she always looked at me and found nothing but faults." Clark swallowed and shook his head. "And Chloe – well, she's the opposite. She looks at me and refuses to see anything but perfection. She sees a hero who saves lives, but she never looks at the mistakes I make."

"And Lori?" Lois couldn't help but ask.

"Lori sees what she wants to see," Clark answered cryptically.

Lois sighed and took a few steps back. She looked around and saw an empty bleacher nearby. Taking a seat on the cold, steel surface, she rubbed at her temples. She could feel a huge headache coming. The silence stretched between them until she finally looked up him.

"So…you're trying to get me to understand how hard life was for you growing up. You want me to feel bad for the little boy who had no one to play with. You want me to see how hard your first love was and give you leeway for the mistakes you've made with all your other loves." Lois shook her head slowly. "_Everyone_ has problems growing up. Everybody has things they need to deal with. Just because the problems you have are different than everyone else's doesn't give you the right to make these decisions for them. If you really love someone, you'll risk sharing yourself with them. Because that's what real love is. The ability to risk anything to be with them."

Clark didn't respond to her outburst immediately. He stared down at her for a minute, his hands still in his pockets.

When he finally broke the silence, he said something she hadn't expected. "You asked me if I was in love with Lois. Do you want to hear the truth?"

"Um…yes…of course," Lois answered slowly, a bit taken aback.

Clark bridged the distance between them and knelt down in front of her. "Your Clark fell in love with you the first time he met you. I think a part of me fell in love with my Lois when I met her, too. But I've always known I can't let it go anywhere."

Lois bit her lip, her eyes wide. "Why not?"

Instead of answering directly, Clark hesitated for a second. "You know, she's the only one who I can just be myself around," Clark admitted, with a slightly wistful smile. "She never has any problems telling me when I screw up. But, at the same time, she always has this amazing ability to know when I need her to give me a break." He looked down at the bleachers for a second and then lifted his eyes to meet her gaze. "There are times when I think that no one knows me better than she does – even if she doesn't know what I'm capable of or where I'm from…."

Lois's breath caught in her throat and she found she couldn't tear her eyes away from him.

"Have you told her how you feel?" Lois asked, finally. She contemplated him, trying to figure out why he was revealing this to her.

"No," Clark answered, shaking his head. "Because I can never tell her that I'm really from a different planet. I would never put her in that kind of danger or put that burden on her shoulders. And I think I'll lose her when she finds out the truth."

"I doubt it," Lois answered immediately. "Especially if she feels for you what I used to feel for _my_ Clark."

Clark gave her a skeptical look. "How can you say that? You admitted to me that you don't love your Clark anymore. Because he lied to you everyday."

Lois shook her head. "That's different."

"Is it really all that different?" Clark asked, with a grim smile. "Because, honestly, my Lois doesn't love me. All I've got is her friendship and I'm not going to risk losing that, too. So maybe you're right that it makes me selfish and a coward. In fact, I probably am." Clark focused his gaze on Lois and stated simply, "Maybe _your_ Clark was a coward and he doesn't deserve you. Maybe he should have been honest with you and told you everything. But I can completely understand why he didn't. And I just want you to try to understand it, too."

Unable to handle the way he was looking at her and his words, Lois closed her eyes. Her head was aching as she trying to process everything he was saying. She didn't want to listen to this. She didn't want to hear the stark emotion in his words. She didn't want to forgive her Clark just because some other random Clark was in love with some other random Lois. But her mind and heart weren't listening.

For the first time, she was starting to see Clark and Superman not as two separate people. She was starting to see them both as one person – and that person wasn't Superman. It was Clark Kent. A Clark Kent who had the ability to look straight at her and into her soul. A Clark Kent who spoke without stammering and tripping over his feet. A person she should have seen a long time ago but only now realized existed.

Lois was just about to say something to him – anything at all – when she heard a sudden clap of thunder. It was followed quickly by lightening and, within seconds, a full torrential rain started falling. They were both drenched before she even knew what was happening.

"Oh no!" Lois exclaimed, ineffectively clutching at her the robe covering her pajamas. "We better head back."

Clark shook his head as he stood up. "It's raining too hard. I don't want to run you back to Gotham. You'll end up getting sick. We'll go to my farm – it's just a mile away. I think Lois still has some clothes there that you can wear."

Lois agreed and he reached out to lift her into his arms. A minute later, he was setting her down in front of a yellow farmhouse. Lois could see the lights were on through the screen door.

Clark opened the front door and called out, "Mom? Are you here?"

Lois followed quickly behind him, looking at the simple décor curiously. She'd never been in an actual farm before. It looked, disappointingly enough, much a normal house.

"Yes, honey, I'm here," a voice called down to them from upstairs. A second later, a beautiful older woman, with auburn hair and a trim figure, came down the stairs. She looked concerned, but still flashed them a welcoming smile.

"Lois! Clark – what are you two doing here? I wasn't expecting you. During a storm, no less." She bounded over and gave Lois a quick hug and then hugged Clark. "Look at you two, completely drenched. Let me get you some towels."

She hurried towards a closet under the stairs and emerged with a couple of red towels.

"Mom, what are _you_ doing here? I thought you'd be out of town this weekend," Clark asked, grabbing a towel from her outstretched hand.

"The meeting got cancelled," she explained, giving the second towel to Lois. She shot Lois a concerned frown. "Why'd you come to Smallville, sweetie? I thought I wasn't going to see you this weekend because you had that exam to study for."

Lois stared at her for a second, her brows lifted in surprise. _Sweetie? Apparently, Lois really has a good relationship with Clark's mom in this world._ Lois shot a questioning look at Clark, silently asking him what she should say.

"Ah… this isn't exactly Lois, Mom," Clark jumped in, rubbing the back of his neck with the towel nervously. "It's a long story, but this isn't our Lois. She's a Lois Lane from another dimension."

Clark's mother stared at Lois long and hard for several minutes. Then she glanced at Clark and then back Lois again. Finally, she said, with a resigned sigh, "Okay, well, you guys better change into some dry clothes. Then we'll all sit down in the kitchen and you can tell me what happened."


	12. Chapter Eleven

**A/N: **Thank you to all who are still interested in finishing up this story. So sorry I haven't posted an update here in awhile. I took some time off to have a baby, etc. (Baby was a gorgeous, healthy, girl.) Updates should be more timely from here on out.

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

**Metropolis, 2019**

Chloe stared at the limo stretched out before them. She turned to Bruce incredulously. "You've got to be kidding me."

Bruce gave a negligent shrug. "What? It's the best way to travel. We'll all fit."

"We'll _fit_ in my car, too," Chloe retorted with a dirty look. "And that's what we're taking." She whirled around and stalked towards the parking garage adjacent to the federal building.

Clark and Lois exchanged a wry glance but silently followed behind her.

"What does it matter?" Bruce asked, confused by her reaction. Most women he knew loved taking a ride in his cars and taking advantage of the perks associated with knowing Bruce Wayne. He quickened his pace to catch up with her. "We'd be much more comfortable in my limo. Why bother driving when my driver can do it?" Bruce asked, in a reasonable tone.

Chloe, obviously, didn't consider it reasonable. She stopped two feet away from a black sedan and turned to him. One brow rose in challenge. "Why bother? This isn't some sort of joyride, Mr. Wayne. This is my job – one that'll do much better if you keep your opinions to yourself. I've managed this far without accepting favors from random billionaires and I think I can continue just a little bit longer." Her voice rose a little at the end of the sentence as she jabbed the button on her keychain, unlocking the car doors.

"Favor?" Bruce scowled down at her. "Taking a more comfortable car to this facility of yours is a favor? That's a bit extreme, don't you think?"

"No, I don't think," Chloe shot back stubbornly, with a shake of her head.

Lois stared at them, fascinated by the argument. She cast a slight smile towards Clark. "If this is what I sound like with Smallville, no wonder people can't stand being around us."

Clark started laughing. "Yeah, I bet it gets annoying."

He opened the car door for Lois, gesturing that she could get in before him.

"Thanks." Lois grinned and climbed in. Both were ignoring the heated argument taking place in the front of the car. Once they'd settled in, Chloe drove out of the facility, pointedly ignoring Bruce's questions about where they were going.

Lois turned to Clark with a questioning gaze. "Do you and your Lois fight a lot, too?"

Clark was silent for a moment, as though thinking it through. After awhile, he said slowly, "No – not anymore. We used to before I left. But ever since I've come back, we don't really talk the same way we used to before. We don't have the same relationship."

"Well, I would think that's a good thing," Lois replied in a light tone. "I mean, who wants to argue all the time? It's great that you're getting along better."

Clark winced. "We're not actually getting along better. She's ignoring me and I'm letting her. What would you prefer? Fighting with Clark or being ignored?"

Lois stared at him, considering his question. The truth was, she'd never let Clark ignore her. From the beginning, she'd forced him to notice her and never allowed him to pretend she wasn't there. And that was even before she'd developed her wholly inappropriate crush on him.

"I would prefer fighting, I guess," Lois finally answered, giving him the short version of the thoughts running through her mind. She definitely didn't want to get into her motives with him, so she cleared her throat and quickly changed the subject. "Chloe, where exactly are we going?"

Blue eyes met hers in the rearview mirror. "I told you, we're going to the facility where my team conducts our research," Chloe said patiently.

"But where _is_ it?" Lois responded, looking out the window in confusion. They'd passed Metropolis city limits a long time ago and all she could see for miles around were rows and rows of Kansas farmland.

"Part of the research includes astronomical data – so the facility is out in the country. We wanted to make sure we had smog free air and we were away from the lights of the city," Chloe explained. "This facility houses some of the most powerful telescopes in the world."

"Why are you willing to answer Lois's questions, but when I asked you the same thing ten minutes ago, you refused to answer?" Bruce asked in an irritated voice.

"Because this actually concerns Lois," Chloe snapped back. "I'm still trying to figure out why you're even involved."

"He's a friend of ours," Clark broke in hastily before Bruce could respond. "We asked him to help us out."

Chloe glanced back at Clark and smiled tightly. "I'm sure you have a lot of friends, Mr. Kent. Why did you feel the need to bring this one along in particular? Did you think his deep pockets would help convince me, if nothing else worked? Just so you know, I can't really be bought, so it was unnecessary to bring along the checkbook." Her tone was full of derision as she finished, "I know you and Lois have exposed a lot of corrupt government officials over the years, but just so we're clear – I don't happen to belong to that group."

Lois and Clark exchanged a startled glance. The thought had never occurred to Lois that Chloe would be so prickly, so she'd never thought that she would question Bruce's presence. Naturally, they couldn't tell her that it wasn't his billionaire status that made him an asset – it was because he was Batman. Before Lois could formulate a response, Bruce beat her to it.

"I assure you, Agent Sullivan, that my involvement has very little to do with my ability to be a 'checkbook' as you put it. It stems more from my – very amateur – fascination with astronomy."

Chloe glanced away from the road for a second to cast him a skeptical look. "Really? I've never heard anything about you that would indicate you care about anything other than where your next party's going to be."

"I have to say that you don't strike me as the sort that believes everything you hear," Bruce answered, with a challenging note in his voice. "I'm more than a little disappointed to see that I was wrong."

Chloe didn't respond for a second. After a moment, she smirked and closed her hand around the gear, shifting and speeding up the car in the process. "Does that usually work with most women, Mr. Wayne?"

"Does what work?"

"The whole routine where you try to manipulate them into being what you want them to be," Chloe answered, in a faintly bored voice. "Because I can save you time and trouble – your opinion of me is irrelevant. Particularly during the course of my research. I'm working to get Lois back to her universe. As long as you stay out of my way, I'll let you indulge your little [iamateur[/i interest in astronomy. But the second you start to annoy me, you're out of here."

Lois had been listening to this exchange with amusement, but her eyes jerked towards Clark when she heard an odd sound coming from his direction. He was laughing silently and trying to cover it be coughing every now and then. The odd sound and sight of Clark having a coughing fit pushed her over the edge and she let out a giggle. One giggle turned into another until she was laughing along with him – which only made Clark start to laugh harder. Both were so busy trying to control their laughter that they didn't notice that Chloe had turned into a large, mostly empty, parking lot and stopped the car. Bruce and Chloe both turned in their seats to glare at the passengers in the back.

"What, may I ask, is so funny?" Bruce asked in a deceptively polite tone.

Lois tried to stop her fit, but found it was hard to answer when you couldn't breathe. After a moment, Clark answered for them. He straightened up and grinned as he opened his car door. "Nothing, Bruce. I think you just reminded us of a couple we know."

Chloe sent Lois into another burst of laughter when she responded in a bewildered tone, "Couple? We are _not _a couple!"

**Smallville, 2008**

Martha looked up from the coffee mug, with a concerned expression. "Is she okay, honey?"

"Yeah, she's fine. I found some of Lois's old clothes – they were right where you said they'd be. I couldn't find a shirt, so I just gave her one of mine," Clark answered, walking in to kitchen. He glanced around and grabbed a cookie from the plate on the counter. "She's not coming down, though. I thought it would probably be better if she just went to sleep."

Martha glanced at the clock and nodded. "Yeah, it's pretty late." She shot him an inquiring look. "So? What's going on?"

Clark hesitated, trying to figure out the best way to explain what had happened. Finally, he decided that no matter what he said, it still sounded crazy. In less than ten minutes, he'd brought his mother up to speed on the events that had occurred since they'd visited the strange scientist.

Once Clark had finished his explanation, Martha shook her head. "This is unbelievable. Why didn't you tell me about this when Lois got out of the hospital? You should have brought her straight here," Martha insisted. Clearly upset, she got up to pour more coffee into her now-empty mug. She turned back to Clark with a frown. "I knew I should have stayed at the hospital. I knew you weren't telling me the whole story."

Clark rolled his eyes and tried not to groan. His overprotective mother had been worried beyond belief when Lois hadn't woken up for three days. When Lois had finally woken up and they realized she had memory loss, Chloe and Clark had decided it would be better to wait before worrying Martha further. Clearly, this had not been a good idea.

"I… um… well," Clark stammered, trying to figure out the best way to make his decision seem valid.

"I don't get it," Martha cut in, her brows furrowed as she thought. "How do you know that this isn't just some side effect of the fall? Maybe she's temporarily delusional?"

Clark sighed. He'd been hoping to hide this part. "We know that she's not really this universe's Lois because Lori saw it."

Martha looked at him sharply. "She _saw_ it? You mean she -- ?"

"Yeah," Clark nodded reluctantly. "She read Lois's mind. And that's how we found about the differences between her and our Lois."

"Hhhmmm," Martha considered this for a moment and then asked gently, "How is Lori doing with all this? It's a lot of information to take in. And if there's even slightest chance that our future will parallel theirs…." Martha's voice trailed off as she looked at Clark meaningfully.

Clark didn't answer. He stuffed his hands into his jeans pocket and avoided his mother's gaze.

"Clark? You've talked to her about this, haven't you?"

"Not really," Clark admitted finally. "My first priority is getting Lois back home. I can deal with Lori after that."

Martha pursed her lips and contemplated him. "Do you think that's fair to her? I mean, you have no clue how long it's going to take to fix this. It may never get fixed. Is it fair to leave Lori hanging for that whole time?"

"I'm not leaving her hanging," Clark responded immediately. "I'm just not in a position to talk to her right now, Mom. Things are too," Clark paused as though searching for the right word. After a second, he finished with, "complicated."

"Complicated?" Martha shook her head slightly. "Is that what you're calling it now? I guess that's a good as term as any to describe being with one girl while you're in love with another."

Clark shot his mother an annoyed look. "I'm not in love with another girl, Mom. I really do love Lori."

"Yes, I'm sure you are. But you're just not in love with her the way you're supposed to be, sweetheart," Martha replied gently. Her voice was reproach less, but her eyes were troubled. "I worry about you."

To avoid answering, Clark took a bite out the cookie in his hand. The usually delicious snack tasted like sawdust. Swallowing a bit, he stood up and walked toward the refrigerator to grab some milk. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his mother watching his movements, patiently waiting for him to respond to her.

Pouring out some milk and taking a sip, he tried to wait her out. It didn't work. Finally, letting out a sigh, he caved. "Okay, Mom, why are you worried about me? I'm fine." Clark softened his tone and tried to make light of everything by adding, "If anything, you should be worried about Lois. She's the one wandering around in an alternate universe."

"I worry about Lois, too – for different reasons. But right now, we're talking about you," Martha responded, not letting him change the subject. Before he could respond, she reached out and clasped his hand tightly. "I'm afraid it's all my fault. Mine and your father's."

This was not what he'd been expecting. Clark stared at her in surprise and asked, "What do you mean? What's your fault?"

Martha took a deep breath and looked at him earnestly. "I'm afraid that we made you too scared, Clark. We were always so worried about your secret and people finding out about you. And, so, you grew up thinking that no one would ever understand if they found out who you were." Martha blinked away moisture from her eyes. "And that they wouldn't love you if they did. And now, you think that you can only be with someone who can understand exactly what you're going through. You don't give any other girl a chance to love you. You're going to be unhappy for the rest of your life and it'll be all my fault."

"What?" Astounded by the guilt in his mother's eyes, he put the glass down and drew her closer to him for a hug. He held onto her tightly and then drew back to smile down at her. "That's not true, Mom. That's not it, at all. You and Dad taught me so much. You gave me so much love. I wouldn't even know what love meant if it hadn't been for you."

"Really?" Martha eyed him skeptically. "Then why didn't you ever tell Lana who you were? And Lois? I know how you feel about her, Clark. I'm your mother – I know you better than anyone. You were in love with Lois [ibefore[/i you started going out with Lori. You're telling me that Lori having powers had nothing to do with you choosing to date her instead of Lois?"

Clark blinked a few times and stepped back. What had gotten into his mother tonight? She'd brought up this topic before, but never with such a vengeance. "Okay, first of all, I happen to [ilike[/i Lori."

"Just not the same way you like Lois," Martha pointed out swiftly. She crossed her arms, with a lifted brow as though she dared him to deny it.

Clark raked his fingers through his hair in frustration. What was it about Lois? Why wouldn't his mother let it go? She'd never been on his case about Lana or Chloe this much. _Oh yeah, she loves Lois like the daughter she never had. Great. _Not for the first time, he regretted ever confiding in his mother about his crush on her adopted daughter.

"Okay, yeah, I have feelings for Lois," Clark cautiously admitted. "But it can't go anywhere, Mom. And I'm not going to spend my life waiting for her or pining after her the way I did with Lana. I would have thought you'd be happy about that."

Martha's unwavering gaze softened. "Oh, sweetie, of course I am. But I'd be happier if you'd just stop thinking that you can't have what you actually want. You deserve to be happy, Clark. And I know that Lois would make you happier than Lori. _You_ know that. The only thing holding you back is fear. And your father and I are the reason you can't get past that fear." Martha shook her head and added in a determined voice, "I'm not going to stand by and watch you make this huge mistake."

"Mistake? You say this like I'm the only one who has a choice in this matter. In case you hadn't noticed, it takes two to make a relationship. And the other party's not exactly interested, Mom!" Clark tried to keep his voice even, but a hint of bitterness crept in.

Martha regarded him thoughtfully. "You'll never know that unless you take the risk. Isn't she worth it?"

Stunned at the question, Clark blinked and took a step back. An echo of Lois's words earlier that night came back to him. _If you really love someone, you'll risk sharing yourself with them. Because that's what real love is. The ability to risk anything to be with them._

He sat down and stared blindly at the glass in front of him. Was he really trying to protect Lois? Or was he just trying to protect himself? He loved Lori – but even he knew it wasn't a deep, passionate kind of love. In an effort to keep anyone from getting hurt, he'd just ended up hurting everyone. How was he going to explain all this to Lori?

Sighing deeply, Clark bit back a groan and rubbed one hand across his jaw. "I really screwed this up, didn't I?"

Martha touched him on the shoulder lightly. "It's not too late. You can still talk to Lori. She'll understand if she cares about you."

Clark glanced at Martha with a guilty expression. "I really do love Lori, you know. I wasn't just saying that."

"I know," Martha nodded understandingly. "But the thing is – sometimes there are people we love just because they're so easy to love. That doesn't mean that they're the ones for you, though." She smiled reminiscently. "When I met Jonathan, there was another person who was much easier to love. But your father – he was the _right_ one to love." Martha gazed at him, her eyes slightly tearing up. "And I've always felt so thankful that I could tell the difference."

Mother and son sat together silently for several minutes, each wrapped up in their own thoughts. One was reliving moments spent in a past that had been full of love, laughter and cherished memories. Another was immersed in dreams of a beautiful future, admitting in hope where it had not been allowed to exist before. Neither realized the similar direction of their thoughts – or the heartbreaking differences.


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve**

**Metropolis, 2008 **

"Clark?" Lori asked sleepily, as she opened the door further to let him in. Her hair was tousled and she was still wearing her nightgown with a robe thrown over it. She blinked up at him, confusion on her face. "What're you doing here?"

Clark glanced down at this watch and realized it was still only six in the morning. Unable to sleep properly after this long talk with his mother, he'd decided to come to Metropolis and speak to Lori before doing anything else that day. Of course, he'd completely forgotten to look at the time on his way out.

"Oh, sorry," Clark apologized quickly. He cleared his throat and added, "I can come back later. When you're awake."

Looking more alert, Lori shook her head quickly. "No, no… come on in. I'm awake now."

He followed her into the living room she shared with Lois and looked around awkwardly. This was going to be a hard conversation. He had no clue where to start. Although you'd think all my practice with Chloe and Lana would have made this a lot easier by now.

"Clark? You want some coffee?" Lori questioned, as she made her way to the tiny kitchen in the corner. "Or some juice or something?"

Shaking his head, he sat down on the sofa. "No, I'm good." He glanced at the coffee table and saw the stack of books Lois had been reading for her Literature class. Clark swallowed painfully, wondering if he'd ever get to see her finish them.

He looked around, realizing that he'd been in this apartment so many times. This was the first time he was here and didn't expect Lois to come barreling through. It was the first time he was here, if he was honest with himself, only for Lori. He was so caught up in his guilty thoughts, he didn't even notice when Lori had come to sit next to him on the sofa. She touched him on the leg to get his attention and he jumped in response.

"Are you okay?" Lori asked with a concerned frown. "Did you get my messages?"

"Yeah," Clark replied warily. "Did you get mine?"

Lori nodded. "Yeah, you went to Gotham, right? Is Lois still there?"

Clark hesitated and then answered honestly. "No, she's with my mom in Smallville. I'm heading back there after we talk."

A look of understanding dawned on her features. "Ahh, I see."

Both stared at each other for a second, neither willing to be the first person to bring up the topic that had brought Clark there.

Finally, Lori spoke. "You know when we were going out on Friday? I had something I needed to talk to you about."

"What was it?"

"My dad asked me to come back home," Lori said slowly. "There are some problems – he needs me by his side."

"Oh no," Clark's brow furrowed in concern. He reached out and grabbed her hands. "Is everything okay? Can I help?"

Lori smiled a bit and squeezed his hands reassuringly. "I'm sure it'll be fine. If I needed your help, I'd let you know."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Clark nodded. "Good. The offer will always be open." He hesitated and then added, "So, when will you be back?"

Lori didn't say anything for a moment. She looked at him searchingly. "That's just it, Clark, I won't be back."

Taken aback by the words, he pulled his hands away. "What do you mean?"

"I…well…" Lori shook her head and stood up. She looked down at him sadly. "This isn't my home, Clark. I don't belong here. I was only supposed to spend a year here, anyway. And that changed when I met you. If I leave, I have only one reason to come back."

Clark stared up at her. "What are you saying? That you'll only come back if I ask you to?"

Lori shook her head slowly and sat down on the coffee table directly across from him. She offered him a tremulous smile. "No, I'm not saying that. Not today – it was what I was going to ask you on Friday. If you'd wait for me. But, today, the answer you'll give me is pretty different from the answer I was expecting on Friday." She looked him directly in the eyes and asked simply, "Isn't it?"

Clark wasn't sure the answer would have been any different if she had told him this sooner, but he didn't say that. Or maybe he didn't need to. "Do you already know?" Clark asked cautiously. "You could have read my mind anytime to know how I'd feel, Lori."

"We have a pact, remember? We don't use our powers on each other. I'm not going to break that pact. Not even if we…" Lori paused and then finished in a soft voice, "not even if we break up."

Clark swallowed the lump the in his throat and looked away. He closed his eyes briefly, trying to gather the strength to answer her.

In the end, the only words that came out were cliché, but he didn't know what else to say. "I didn't mean to hurt you." Clark offered weakly. He opened his eyes and saw that hers were full of understanding.

"I know. I didn't mean to hurt you, either. I wish that I wasn't leaving like this and it hadn't come down to you making this kind of choice," Lori said and then shook her head. "I guess even with powers like ours, we're not strong enough to fight destiny, huh?"

"No, I guess we're not."

She reached out and grasped one of his hands as she blinked back tears. "But I can't say it wasn't worth it, Clark. I'll never forget you."

Gently, he cupped the side of her face and rubbed away a drop of saltwater making its way down her cheek. "Friends?" Clark asked softly.

Lori nodded, sniffing a bit. "Friends."

Smallville, 2008

Lois stumbled down the stairs, tugging on the plaid shirt that Clark had given her. There'd been an odd smirk on his face as he'd handed it over, which was something she still didn't quite understand. But it had been comfortable enough to sleep in – particularly since it had been dry and warm.

Following the mouthwatering scent of coffee, she made her way through the living room slowly and quietly. It was still pretty early and she didn't want to wake anyone on her way to the kitchen.

Her good intentions went flying out the window when she bumped against the end table.

"Ow, shit!" Lois let out the muffled curse before she could stop herself. Almost instinctively, she looked around to make sure no one would make her put something in the bad words jar. It took a second for her to remember that her son wasn't there and with the realization came a familiar stab of pain.

_Okay, Lois, thinking about Jason isn't going to get you anywhere. You just have to put faith in your younger self. She probably knows what she's doing. And even if she doesn't? Well, the kid spends most of his time in school, anyway. _

The pep talk worked and she let herself glance around the room. Her gaze landed on the table she'd just rammed her knee into and she realized that a few of the pictures had toppled over. Automatically, she reached out to put them right side up. Lois let her natural curiosity take over and she started looking at the array of photos decorating the wooden table top.

There were the usual family shots that every family had. There were several of Clark from when he was a little boy. Lois picked one up and analyzed the dark-haired boy in the photo. He looked around Jason's age. She tried to see a resemblance between him and her son, but she couldn't see much of one. Even at a young age, Clark looked somber and serious – his blue eyes full of a burden that no child should have to bear. His hair was much darker than Jason's had ever been. Lois shook her head slightly and put the picture back.

Obviously, everyone was right. Jason looked exactly like her and nothing like his father. She couldn't wait to rub it in to Clark when she got back. _Guess what, Clark? My human genes are more powerful than your super-Kryptonian ones. So there. _

Smirking slightly, she almost missed putting one picture back in it's original spot. Lois picked it up quickly and gave it a cursory glance before putting back. Then she did a double take. It was a picture of her – or rather, a younger version of her. Or, really, a picture of _this_ version of Lois.

Judging from what Lois had seen in the mirror that morning, she would place the picture as being only a few years old. The young girl in the photo had her arms thrown around two older people. One she could easily recognize as Mrs. Kent. The man was handsome and looked old, but not too old. Mr. Kent, probably? They were all dressed up for some party. Lois was standing in the middle looking directly into the camera and the two Kents were focused on her as they all laughed.

Lois squinted at the picture and smiled slightly at the joy she saw on the girl's face. A look of happiness she couldn't associate with her own college experience. She felt a bit odd at the thought.

"Clark took that picture. We took it the day Jonathan won his seat in the Senate."

Lois whirled around and faced Martha Kent. The petite woman was holding a coffee mug in each hand and she smiled as she held one out to Lois.

Setting the picture down carefully, Lois walked closer to her to take the mug from her. "Thank you," Lois said gratefully, taking a sip of the heavenly liquid. It was fantastic. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry – I was just putting them back in their place."

Martha looked amused. "You didn't mean to pry? Clark told me you're a journalist. Don't you pry for a living?"

Lois thought about it for a second and then let out a sheepish laugh. "Okay, you're right. I totally meant to pry. Occupational hazard."

"It's okay, Lois." Martha walked past her to the photos. She picked up the one that Lois had just put back down. "Clark took this the morning of election day. We hadn't heard the results, yet, and we were all so nervous. We decided to take some pictures and we had to force Lois into this one. She was joking about something when Clark took the picture," Martha explained as she glanced back at Lois. "Jonathan died later that day. I've always been glad we had a chance to laugh together that morning." Martha placed the photo back in its original spot gently.

Lois looked at her, not knowing exactly what to say. The loss of a loved one was a hard thing to deal with. It had been decades and she still wasn't over her mother's death. She understood, to an extent, the pain that the other woman still felt.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Mrs. Kent," Lois offered softly. "I'm glad that you had people who loved you to help take care of you when it happened. It can make all the difference in the world."

Martha blinked and stared at her in astonishment. "Oh my… you really _aren't_ her, are you?"

"I'm sorry?"

"I mean, I believed Clark, obviously. But I guess I didn't really understand it until now," Martha admitted with a slight smile. "My Lois has many talents, but the ability to give condolences in a delicate way is not something she's quite learned how to do, yet."

Lois grinned. "That's okay – it wasn't something I learned until recently. And, just between you and me, there are still times I kind of forget about things like manners."

"Given that your name is Lois Lane, I believe it," Martha declared, with an answering grin. "Why don't we go into the kitchen, sweetie? It's more comfortable."

"If there's more coffee there, count me in." Lois followed her into the sunny room in the back of the house. They both settled down on at the counter in the middle of the kitchen and sipped on their coffee thoughtfully. After a minute of companionable silence, Lois finally asked, "Where's Clark? Is he still sleeping?"

"No, no… he went to Metropolis. He should be back to soon," Martha explained. "He said you both need to head back to Gotham."

Lois nodded soberly, fixing her gaze on her cup. "Yeah. I'm hoping Bruce managed to come up with something. I need to get back home as soon as I can."

They were both quiet again, lost in their own thoughts. This time, it was Martha who broke the silence. "Clark told me you have a son. How old is he?"

"He's five," Lois answered with a slight grin. "Going on fifty. Sometimes, I really wonder who the parent is."

Martha let out a laugh. "I know how that goes. Kids are amazing, aren't they?"

"Yeah, they really are," Lois agreed and took another sip of her coffee.

"Some more than others?" Martha asked with a tiny smile.

Lois paused mid-sip, understanding exactly what Martha was asking her. Carefully, she set the cup down in front of her and turned her full attention to the older woman. "Jason doesn't really have Clark's abilities, Mrs. Kent. At least, not yet." Lois hesitated and then added, "If anything, he's weaker than the average human. He has allergies like you wouldn't believe, and the doctors think he'll never have the same physical stamina as the other kids."

Martha looked at her thoughtfully. "What do_ you_ think? The doctors can have their opinions and their medical degrees. But you're his mother. What do you think the future holds for him?"

"I don't know what to think!" Lois raked her hands through her hair in frustration. "Before I knew about Clark, I would have been happy if Jason could have just managed to eat Chinese food without choking. Or run a mile without an inhaler. But now?" Lois gazed at Martha questioningly, "What do I do now? I watched my five year old push a piano across the room! How do I deal with that? How do I help _him_ deal with that?"

Martha bit her lip as she considered Lois's words. "You just do, Lois. You love him. That's enough. You make sure that he takes these abilities and learns that he needs to use them for good. If you love him enough, he'll love you enough not to want to disappoint your faith in him. That's all any mother can do, really. Whether their child has super-powers or not."

"Is that how you did it?" Lois asked, somewhat desperately. She couldn't help but feel that Martha should have the Holy Grail of motherhood. After all, the woman raised Superman. That definitely qualified her for the super-mom mantle. "Did you just love Clark enough that he turned out okay? You had no problems with his abilities?"

"No, of course I did," Martha responded, with a reassuring laugh. "That's not what I meant. I remember the first time he broke the dining room table when he was three. He was playing Hot Wheels under the table and he rammed the car into the leg. The whole table collapsed on him and Jonathan was convinced that he'd been crushed under there. Even before we could get to him, Clark had pushed all the pieces of the table off and kept on playing like nothing had happened!"

Lois laughed at the mental image of a mini-Clark playing in the midst of a ruined table. "What'd you do?"

Martha's eyes were twinkling as she finished with a fond smile, "I wanted to run up to him and hug him like crazy, but I just let him finish his game. It took awhile, but I learned when to worry and when not to worry. Actually, that's probably something I'm still learning."

"I guess being a mother never ends, huh?" Lois asked, with a sigh. She picked up her cup and drank down the last dregs. "Not even when they're in college?"

"Never, not until the day we die," Martha answered immediately.

The two women looked at each other with identical smiles gracing their lips. A second later, a man's voice broke into their thoughts.

"What's going on? Are you ready to go, Lois?" Clark stood in the doorway, glancing from Lois to Martha with a confused frown. "What're you guys talking about?"

"Nothing, Clark," Martha said, shooting her son a loving smirk. "Just talking about dining tables and pianos. You wouldn't understand."

Lois choked on her laughter when she saw Clark look even more lost. "Don't worry about it, Clark. It's kind of an inside joke."

"Okkaaayy," Clark agreed slowly. He glanced at the two women and then grinned teasingly. "It doesn't surprise me that you managed to adopt this one, too, Mom. Is there any Lois Lane you don't fall in love with?"

Martha crossed her arms and quirked one brow in amusement. "I don't know… is there any Lois that you -- ."

"Okay, Mrs. Kent, thanks so much for the coffee," Lois interjected hastily. She'd caught the flush on Clark's cheeks and knew exactly where his mother was headed with this conversation. "Clark, you ready to go?"

"I'm ready. You're not ready," Clark pointed out, indicating towards her rumpled clothes.

Lois glanced down at the over-sized plaid shirt and the jeans she tossed on before coming downstairs. "This is good enough. I'll shower and get changed at Bruce's."

Clark nodded. "Sounds good."

The two went to the back of the farm, getting ready to super-speed back to Gotham. Before she turned to hold on to Clark, Lois impulsively turned and gave Martha a hug.

Martha hugged her back warmly and whispered, "Take good care of him, Lois."

Lois leaned back and asked quizzically. "Who? Jason?"

Martha smiled. "Well, him too, of course. But I meant Clark. Even though I'm not that Clark's mother, I still want the best for him." She squeezed Lois's hands a bit and stated simply, "So, take good care of him."

Lois searched her eyes and then glanced back at Clark. Apparently, he had neglected to mention to his mother that they weren't together in her world. In the end, Lois decided not to tell Martha. What was the point in worrying her? Lois tightened her hold on Martha's hands reassuringly and said honestly, "I'll do the best that I can."

As Lois turned and wrapped her arms around Clark, she couldn't help but glance back at the house wistfully. Lois didn't know why, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was leaving a place she wanted to call home.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Somewhere in the outskirts of Metropolis, 2019**

"I'm bored," Lois announced, glancing at the clock for the umpteenth time. Time went by very slowly when all you had to do was sit in a chair and keep quiet.

Chloe and Bruce looked up from the charts they'd been analyzing and gave her identical annoyed looks.

"Do you have to say that every five minutes?" Chloe asked, rolling her eyes. "We're doing all this to help you, remember?"

"Yeah, but why does helping me have to involve charts and computers that only you guys can understand?" Lois complained. "I hate this kind of investigating. What we should really be doing is going out there and tracking down the short, little, annoying guy."

"I don't think he's really a viable lead, Lois," Chloe answered. She rolled up the chart she'd just finished marking and put it away. She grabbed another one and began unfurling it. "He could have just been a figment of your imagination."

"A figment of my - ?" Lois repeated in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me. I saw him talk to my Clark. _ This_ Clark," Lois jerked her head towards her partner, "saw him in this version of the universe, too. We have to assume that Lois did, as well. How could four people, in two separate universes, all have the same hallucination?"

Lois turned to Clark for support, but he was staring out the window with a distracted expression on his face and hadn't even seemed to notice that she was speaking.

Bruce rubbed at his jaw in contemplation. Finally, he admitted, "She's got a valid point, Agent Sullivan. Perhaps we're being hasty by disregarding that aspect of the switch. There could be a clue there that'll point us in the right direction."

Lois smiled, gratified someone was finally paying attention her input. "Thank you, Bruce."

Chloe considered Lois for a second and then nodded. "Okay, you're right. I should have gotten the details, anyway, since any little thing could make a difference." Chloe grabbed a blank note pad from under a pile of charts and graphs and managed to find a pen. She sat down in a chair situated across from Lois's chair. "Walk me through it. Start from the beginning – right when you met the short, little, annoying guy."

Lois took a deep breath and began telling her the abbreviated version that she'd shared with everyone up to this point. This time, though, Chloe wouldn't let her get away with the short story. She kept interrupting and asking questions that Lois didn't think were really relevant. Like, what had she and Clark been wearing? What was the weather like? What floor was the telescope on? How far away was Clark standing from her? Chloe even made her draw a diagram as close to scale as Lois could get it.

Clark, intrigued by the story, had made his way over to them and remarked, "That's exactly what the room looked like that we were in, too."

"Do the events match up, as well?" Chloe asked curiously. "I mean, were you and the older Lois standing in the same place and going through the same motions?"

Clark thought about it for a second. "Yes, for the most part. I mean, Lois is saying that when she was looking through the telescope, Clark was on the phone with his girlfriend. When my Lois looking through the telescope, I was on the phone with - ," Clark hesitated for a second and then finished with an odd look in his eyes, "her fiancé, Richard."

"Hhhmm…" Chloe tapped the pen against her cheek, as she thought about it. She turned to Lois. "So then what happened? You're standing there, staring through the telescope…."

"And then the creepy little man tells me to make a wish," Lois supplied. "So, I made a wish and then I see the star I'm looking at crack in half. The next thing I know -- ."

"Wait," Chloe interrupted. "What did you wish?"

Lois stared at her blankly. "Huh? What difference does it make?"

"Well, it may not make a difference, but – at this stage – every little detail counts. Anything could be relevant." Chloe looked at her expectantly. "So, what did you wish for?"

Lois stared at the ground, suddenly fascinated by the heels that this universe's Lois preferred. They were pretty good looking. And looked great with the high waisted pants.

"Lois? What did you wish?" Clark prompted her, interrupting her analysis of Lois's fashion sense.

"Nothing," Lois replied, blushing a bit. There was no way she was admitting her childish wish to these sophisticated, older versions of Clark and Chloe. And Bruce Wayne. _No way in hell. _

Bruce's brows furrowed in confusion. "Well, it can't be nothing, because you just said that you made a wish. So what was it?"

Lois looked up and saw all three of them staring at her with puzzled expressions. Clearly they were not understanding that she wanted to sink into the floor and die of embarrassment. _ Is your pride worth getting stuck here forever, Lane? Just spit it out. FBI Chloe is probably right – it could be relevant. _

"I…um…" Lois cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "I wished that Clark would look at me like that," she mumbled under her breath.

She underestimated them, because they all heard her. But no one understood what it meant.

"Look at you like what?" Chloe asked in a baffled voice.

Lois sighed and avoided Clark's gaze as she explained a bit more. "When Clark was on the phone with Lori – his girlfriend – he got this look that he always gets when he's around her. Like a gentler, nicer look."

Chloe still looked like she didn't understand, so Lois continued softly, "He never looks at me the way he looks at Lori, because we're always too busy fighting. So, I wished that once – just once – he'd look at me the way he looked at Lori. That he'd see me and see me the way he sees her." Lois realized that sounded a bit pathetic, so she quickly added, "And the next thing I know, the star I'm looking at is splitting in half and I'm falling. I blacked out and when I woke up I was here."

Silence met her words as all three of them reacted to the news in different ways. Chloe, quite unaffected, diligently finished taking notes of everything Lois had said. Bruce looked annoyed and even slightly angry. When Lois finally ventured a glance in Clark's direction, she saw that he looked stunned and, if she read it right, more than a little hurt.

Her guess was confirmed by his next words. "But you told me that you didn't love your Clark. You lied to me," Clark stated simply, the confusion evident in his blue eyes.

Before she could respond, Bruce interjected with a sardonic laugh. "You're telling me we're going through all of this because Lois and Clark can't get their act together in _any universe_? That's just great."

Chloe didn't pause in taking her notes, but she did glance up briefly to correct him cheerfully. "Not necessarily in _any _universe, Mr. Wayne. If my theory is correct, there are multiple parallel universes and this Lois is just from one of them. There could very well be a Clark and Lois out there that have an ideal relationship. Just not these two _specific _universes' Clark and Lois."

Bruce shot her a tight smile. "Thanks for clarifying, Agent Sullivan." Bruce groaned and shook his head. He added, in a resigned voice, "Okay, so I guess we're playing cupid, then? How do we do this?"

Lois rolled her eyes and gave him a look. "No, you're not. You don't need to worry about it."

Swallowed dryly, Lois stood up and crossed her arms nervously, grateful that Chloe and Bruce had interrupted any questions Clark had. She could see him still staring at her from the corner of the room but, thankfully, he wasn't making a move to force her to address him. Lois knew she'd made a mistake hiding her real feelings from him, but this wasn't something she wanted to discuss with him in front of Chloe and Bruce. The whole thing was embarrassing enough as it was.

So, instead, Lois looked down at Chloe and said slowly, "I don't get it – if there are other Lois's out there that have their life together, then why would the universe switch me around with one who's just as screwed up as me? Why not send one of those other ones here? Why single me out?"

Chloe snapped her notebook shut and stood up. "I don't know. But I'm going to find out."

**Gotham, 2008 **

Lois tossed the chart detailing the previous night's astronomical data on the cluttered table before and rubbed her eyes tiredly. She glanced at the two piles on the table to her right and realized, with a sigh of dismay, that the papers she hadn't gone through consisted of the larger of the two piles. This was going to take all day.

With another irritated sigh, she looked around the room, trying to locate the man who had the ability to super-speed through the research in the blink of an eye. She found Bruce and Chloe easily enough. They were sequestered in the far corner of the spacious underground bat-cave. It looked like Bruce was explaining how the complicated super-computer worked and Chloe was gazing at him with a mixture of fascination and adoration that Lois found somewhat amusing.

Upon reflection, Lois realized that Chloe was probably one of the few women in the world who would enjoy Bruce's company not just for his looks, wealth and charm – she would be attracted to him for his genius intellect, as well. For Chloe's sake, Lois hoped that the younger Bruce recognized that and appreciated how rare it was. Her own version of Bruce Wayne was a wonderful person, but she often felt bad when she saw his obvious loneliness.

As Chloe and Bruce continued to flirt in the corner, Lois stood up and stretched, trying to stifle a huge yawn. She turned around and finally found Clark on the complete opposite side of the room. Then she remembered that he had said he'd tried to find out more about the physicist by searching through academic sites for any papers or research similar to his interests. She smiled at how he looked when concentrating on a task. He reminded her of her Clark back in her own life.

Clark's feet were propped up on the table, with his chair tilted as far back as it would go. He was staring intently at the screen before him and his hair was a mess from all the times he'd run his hands through it. For a brief moment, she felt a rush of affection for not only this Clark through her veins, but also for her Clark back home. All the years Clark had been gone had caused her to forget what it was like to work with him and have him as a partner. The thrill of the chase when it came to the story…the ecstatic triumph when the bad guy was caught… the natural high at seeing her name on the byline at the conclusion of a great article… it had all been just a little sweeter – a little more fun - with Clark by her side.

Lois had never admitted it to anyone, probably not even herself, but his presence had always had a major influence on her success as a reporter. The competitive streak he brought out in her. The joy she felt when she felt she'd beaten him to the scoop. She had always felt that one of the best parts of working at the Daily Planet was being able to spar with Clark all day. Somewhat wistfully, she came to the gradual realization that when he had left (taking, apparently, Superman along with him) she hadn't stopped being good at her job, per se, but she had definitely stopped _enjoying _it as much.

Suddenly, her eyes narrowed and she focused her gaze on the man occupying her thoughts. He'd been the exact same pose for the past five minutes. He hadn't even moved a muscle. She squinted and then let out a frustrated growl when she saw that he was completely zoned out and wasn't working in the slightest.

Incensed that she'd made herself cross-eyed looking at complex data while he took a break in the corner, Lois stalked over to him. "Clark! You know you actually have to click something to make the screen change, right? You can't control it with your mind."

Startled by Lois's unexpected interruption, Clark lost his balance and just managed to leap out of his chair before it crashed to the ground. If she hadn't been so annoyed, the comical sight would have made her laugh. As it was, she was too tired, irritated, and – frankly – scared to muster up even a smile.

"You can do the research faster than any of us and you're just sitting there while we all work our butts off. What's wrong with you?" Lois snapped.

Clark rakes his hand through his hair in a distracted manner and shot her a small smile. "Sorry, I'm a bit out of it. I've got some other things on my mind."

Lois folded her arms and glared up at him. "What on earth could be more important than the fact that I switched bodies with another Lois Lane from a different dimension?" She took a deep breath. "What, is this all too boring for you? Do you even want to help get me out of here? "

Clark stared at her for a moment, his eyes lighting up with anger. "Actually, at this moment, I want it more than anything," Clark responded, through clenched teeth.

"Hey, I don't want to be here, either, okay?" Lois retorted irritably. "In case you've forgotten, I have a son I need to get back to – a 6 year old who is probably freaked out of his mind right now."

After a second, his gaze softened a bit and he looked away. "Yes, I'm sorry, you're right. Look, can you give me a minute? I'm not exactly having that great of a day."

As suddenly as her anger at flared up, it abated in the face of what appeared to be sadness and regret. Her brow furrowing in concern, Lois moved closer to Clark. "Clark, are you okay? What's wrong?"

Clark shook his head quickly, but he avoided her questioning gaze when he answered. "Nothing. I think I just need to clear my head a bit."

Lois nodded and stepped aside to let him pass by her. She watched him go, a puzzled frown tugging at her lips as she tried to think about what was wrong with him. He'd been acting strangely ever since they have left Smallville. He was snapping at people left and right and had, twice, gotten into an argument with Bruce over petty things. Chloe had tried talking to him, but to no avail.

"Lois!"

Chloe tugged on her arm, pulling her thoughts away from Clark for a second. Lois glanced at the younger woman and saw that Chloe was grinning widely. "What's up, Chloe?"

"Um, you don't mind if we take a break, do you?" Chloe asked, her blue eyes sparking a bit in excitement. "Bruce said he's going to show me the Wayne Gardens. It shouldn't take that long."

Lois paused for a second and then forced a mischievous smile to her lips. "Sure, why not? But please tell me that you're not using that term metaphorically."

Chloe rolled her eyes and laughed. "No…no. He's showing me the grounds – apparently the gardens are some of the best in the world," Chloe explained, her voice a bit low, so Bruce couldn't hear them. "The roses are so unique, they can't be found anywhere else except here. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Usually, they're closed to the public."

Lois nodded in mock seriousness. "So, of course, this is all in the spirit of research, huh? All for the article on botany you've wanted to get published for years?"

"Of course," Chloe agreed gravely, although the slight laughter in her eyes gave her away. "No reporter is complete without having _that_ article under her belt." Her eyes widened comically when she realized what she had just said and she added hastily, "Um, so to speak."

Lois started laughing and glanced back at Bruce, who was waiting by the front doors with his jacket on and holding an extra one for Chloe. Impulsively, Lois leaned over and gave Chloe a hug. "Go, have fun. Clark's on a break, anyway. It looks like we can all use one."

At the mention of Clark, Chloe's grin faded and was replaced with a worried frown. "Did you find out what was wrong with him?"

Lois shook her head. "No, he wouldn't say anything. I figured he could use some space. I'm sure he'll get over whatever it is in time. In any case, it's none of my business."

"Yeah, but Clark usually doesn't have bad moods, though. Something must really be bothering him." Chloe looked at Lois for a second. "I think you should hunt him down and make him talk to you."

Startled, Lois shook her head quickly. "What? Why me? You're his best friend!"

"Yeah, but he's not mad at me," Chloe countered. "Obviously, there's something going on with you."

"No, there isn't," Lois denied vehemently. "I didn't do anything."

Chloe looked skeptical. "That's what my Lois always says."

Lois sighed and shook her head. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Nope." Chloe shrugged. "You – or rather our version of you – is the only person I've seen that can get Clark to open up about anything. So, like it or not, you're going to have to talk to him if you want his help getting you out of here." And then Chloe smirked slightly and added, "And I'm off to go check out how great botany is…."

With that parting shot, Chloe took off to meet Bruce at the front door and Lois stood alone for awhile watching until they both disappeared from her sight.

"God save me from meddling cousins and brooding Kryptonians," Lois muttered under breath as she went off in search of Clark.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Metropolis, 2019**

"Good night, hon. Don't let the bed bugs bite." Lois closed Jason's door gently behind her. She stood there for a moment, holding on to the handle, a slight smile lighting her face.

"Not too bad, Lane," she murmured softly to herself. As she made her way down the stairs to the kitchen, she thought about how it wasn't too bad being a mom. Seeing the excitement in Jason's eyes while he described the Kent farm had been contagious. He really was a sweet little kid.

The smile died away, however, when she thought back on the events of the day. After the disastrous meeting at Chloe's super-secret facility (where they had pretty much managed to waste a lot of time getting nowhere, in Lois's opinion), Clark had sent Lois back to Smallville with Bruce to pick up Jason from the Kent farm. He'd been distracted, saying he had something important to take care of, but Lois suspected he was still reeling from the revelation that she had feelings for the Clark back in her world. He had looked incredibly disappointed in her for lying to him, and while Lois understood how hurt he must be, there was a part of her that was starting to get pissed off that he chose to avoid the situation, rather than just talk to her about it.

Bruce had told her that it would take Clark some time and she needed to give him space, but Lois felt that time was the biggest problem they had. Regardless of whether or not she'd be able to leave this world, she had to admit that she really liked this world's Clark (didn't love him, but liked him) and the fact that he was hurting because of her was causing her no small of guilt. And Lois Lane hated feeling guilty.

She tried explaining this to Bruce, but Jason's presence in the car trip back to Metropolis had made further conversation of that nature impossible. Even if Jason hadn't been talking away a mile a minute about how great Martha was and how much he loved Krypto, she still felt that it would have been a conversation unsuitable for Jason's ears. Especially since a lot of cursing would have been involved.

Lost in these swirling thoughts, she barely had time to register that the door bell had been ringing for the past few minutes. When it sunk in, she glanced at the clock. She figured it was the Chinese food she'd ordered from a local restaurant right before starting Jason's bed-time ritual. It'd only taken them thirty minutes to deliver. Not bad.

"Just a minute!" Lois called out, as she grabbed her purse and fumbled around for the wallet inside. When she finally found it and opened the door Lois was shocked to find Richard standing there instead.

"Richard!" Lois exclaimed, almost dropping her bag in surprise. "What are you doing back? I thought you were gone until the end of the week?"

"I decided to come home early." Richard gave her an odd look and she winced, realizing belatedly that she sounded quite unwelcoming.

"I mean… ah…c'mon on in." Lois opened the door a bit wider to let Richard enter the house.

"Sorry, I had to ring the bell," Richard apologized in a low voice. He wheeled his carry-on into the room and placed his briefcase on the floor next to it. As he shrugged of his suit jacket, he turned to her and explained, "It turns out that I forgot my keys. I didn't wake up Jason, did I?"

Lois wrapped her arms around herself and shook her head slightly. "Nope, he's down for the night. He went to bed over an hour ago."

Richard glanced at the wallet still clutched her hand, now partially hidden under one arm. "You ordered food?" He raised a brow and stated dryly, "Good to know that some things don't change."

Lois didn't exactly know how to respond to that, so she just nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, I ordered some Chinese. I thought you were the delivery guy." She placed the wallet back down on the front table and gave him an uncomfortable look. "Um… how was your trip?"

"It was fine," Richard responded a bit tersely. He pulled his own wallet out of his pocket and placed it next to her purse on the table.

"OK, great," Lois replied. She affixed a bright smile to her lips, even though she was cringing inwardly at the awkwardness of the whole situation.

They both fell silent, looking around the hallway, avoiding each other's gaze. As the silence stretched between them, Lois took a deep breath and tried to figure out what to say next. What did one say to a fiancée who wasn't really a fiancée? Should she just tell him what was going on? Before she could formulate her next sentence and decide what to do, the doorbell rang again.

Richard let out what seemed like a sigh of relief. "Why don't I get it, Lois? You want to set the table? I'm pretty hungry, too."

Lois leapt on the excuse to get away from him. "That's a great idea. There's more than enough for both of us." She hastily retreated to the kitchen, allowing Richard to take care of the front door.

The next twenty minutes passed quickly, with Richard and Lois completely focused on putting out the food and plates. Both were famished, so they used their hunger as an excuse to concentrate on the delicious meal and not talk to each other. When their hunger had abated somewhat, it had almost become ridiculous for them to avoid talking to each other, so Lois decided to start up the conversation again.

Lois figured that the weather was the perfect conversation starter. "How was London? Rainy this time of year?"

"It was okay," Richard put down his chopsticks to look her for a second. He took a deep breath and stated, in an almost casual tone, "I got your message that you were taking Jason to Smallville. To visit Clark Kent's mother? What was that about?"

Lois looked at him in surprise. She hadn't thought that Richard would think anything was unusual about that. Clark had mentioned that Richard might think it was odd, but she since she was used to staying at the Kent farm when she was in Smallville, it had seemed natural to her to have Martha baby-sit.

"Weelll," Lois answered slowly, "Um… we had that interview with the FBI agent, remember? And since it was Saturday, I had to do something with Jason. Clark volunteered his mom, so it seemed like a good idea at the time…." Lois's voice trailed off and she raised a brow. "Why?"

"Oh, it's not a big deal," Richard responded quickly, even though his tone seemed to belie his words. "It's just that I thought it was a bit weird. I mean, we usually use Serena, Jimmy, or Chris for baby-sitting and I couldn't understand why you would take Jason all the way to Smallville instead of calling one of them." Richard shook his head slightly and took a small sip of water. "I'm sure you had a good reason." He gave her a look that clearly indicated that he was waiting to hear to her good reason.

Lois blinked for a second and then nodded. "Um, yeah. I couldn't find anyone else. I, well, I figured it was the easiest thing to do. I mean, I didn't know that we had all those people we could call. Memories, remember?" Lois added in hastily.

"You could have called me. I would have told you."

"Yeah, but…" Lois ran her finger around the rim of the water glass in front of her, avoiding his direct gaze. "Clark suggested the farm and I figured that Jason would have fun. Why not?"

Richard studied her, his head titled to the side a bit. It was apparent that he was considering her words and finding her explanation lacking. "Did you like it?"

"Did I like what?" Lois's brow furrowed in confusion and she pushed her plate away. This odd conversation had made her lose her appetite. "I'm not sure what you're talking about."

"Smallville," Richard responded tersely. "I mean, you kept talking about it with Clark before I left for my trip. You thought you'd met Clark there when you were younger. So, I was just wondering – did you like it? Did it live up to your… ah… _memories_?" The last word was uttered in a faintly sardonic tone.

Lois stared at him for a full minute, feeling an odd queasiness. "What are you asking, Richard?"

"I don't know," Richard paused and glanced away from her. He seemed to take time to compose himself and met her eyes once again. "Were you lying before or are you lying now?"

"Lying?" Lois repeated and one brow rose in confusion. Had he figured out that she was from another universe before she had a chance to tell him what was going on? Well, if he was thinking about that, then he was taking it much too personally. She hadn't lied to him exactly – she just hadn't told him all the facts, because she'd promised Clark she wouldn't tell him until they knew more about what was going on. She decided to tread carefully. "So, what am I lying about, exactly?"

Richard rolled his eyes and let out an audible sigh. He pushed himself away from the table in frustration and started clearing the mess in front of them. He smiled a bit sadly. "I talked to Jason today. And, as much as it hurts to admit this, I didn't actually figure everything out until right at that instant. I can't believe I've been this stupid all along. You guys must have had a good laugh at my expense."

_Oh, so he was talking about the body switcheroo._ "Look, Richard," Lois explained hastily, "Maybe I should have told you. But it was so hard for me to even accept it, how was I supposed to tell you? And then you just hopped on a plane to London. If you want to know the truth," Lois continued, when she saw he wasn't responding, "I was hoping this would all be resolved before you even got back."

If anything, her explanation made him even more upset. "What do you mean? Were you planning on leaving me while I was gone, then?"

Lois shook her head in confusion, not understanding why he would be so sorry to see her go. After all, wouldn't he be happier to his own Lois back? "Wha-at? What're you talking about?"

Richard crossed his arms and leaned back against the counter. He glared at her and he said in a stiff voice, "I'm talking about the fact that Superman and Clark Kent are the same person." He looked grim as he stared at her, almost daring her to deny it. "The way Jason described Martha Kent and how she was with him. It was pretty obvious there was something deeper there. And I've had my suspicions, anyway – it all just kind of clicked into place."

Lois turned white, as her mind raced to formulate a response. Clark and Bruce had explained to her the dangers of people finding out about Clark's secret and she had to admit that she agreed with them. If this world's Clark Kent had decided to keep this a secret from Richard White, he had a good reason and it wasn't her place to start outing him to random people.

So, Lois mustered up a fake smile and let out a shrill laugh. "I don't know what you're talking about. That's crazy."

"Let it go, Lois, I know you're protecting him." Richard paused and let out a sigh, which seemed to deflate most of his anger. Suddenly, he just looked very tired. "It's fine. I get it, kind of. I'm not going to lie – it hurts that you didn't tell me. But I think it just hurts more that you're clearly in love with him in a way that you'll never be in love with me."

Lois swallowed back a lump in her throat. She felt his pain as though it were real and tangible thing. This had gone on too far. "Richard, there's something you should know –."

"There's nothing to know, Lois," Richard cut her off flatly. He cleared his throat and looked at her with a pained sort of understanding in his eyes. "It's my own fault. I always knew that I was second place to Superman in your life. The whole time he was gone, I knew there was a part of you that wished you were with him instead of me. And I was the stupid one who was content with being second fiddle to him. After all, he's Superman, right? He's like a god! Any mere mortal should be honored to be second place to a god."

Richard stopped talking for a moment, as he rubbed his hand across his mouth and contemplated her in grim silence. He looked like he was waiting for her to say something to either negate or confirm his suspicions.

But what should she say to a man she didn't even know? And the fact was that she didn't know enough about this world's Lois to have any clue how to handle this situation on Lois's behalf. So, in the end, she settled for silence.

"But then you were in this accident and when you woke up, you didn't remember Superman. You didn't remember me or even your son. Instead, you remembered Clark Kent." He stopped and gave her a piercing look. "And that was weird, but I think it all started to click then. The way you looked at him when you woke up…the way _he_ always looks at _you_."

"Richard," Lois finally interrupted. She couldn't let this continue. It wasn't fair to him and it wasn't fair to the older Lois. "I'm not her. I'm not your Lois Lane."

Instead of expressing shock, he just nodded sadly. "Yes, you're right. And the sad part is that I always knew you weren't mine, but I thought I could make you happy. It's just now that I realized that I can't. And I'm done with trying, Lois. I can't do it anymore."

"No, no…" Lois protested, shaking her head in dismay. "You've got it all wrong."

Lois moved closer to him, in an effort to get him to listen to her. But Richard pulled away, side-stepping her outstretched hand and began walking towards the front door. Rather than just letting him walk out, Lois followed him, trying to explain the situation, but all her words fell on deaf ears.

"I'll be staying with Kevin for the next week, until I can find a place of my own," Richard told her, as he grabbed the carry-on next to the door. "I'll get in touch with you about Jason." He looked at her steadily. "I know he's not biologically my son, but I want you to know that I love him more than anything. Even Superman can't keep me away from him."

Realizing there was nothing she could say at that point to make Richard stay, Lois gave up and just nodded. "Yes, of course." She smiled slightly as she thought of Clark – rather she thought of her Clark back home. "If I know Clark half as well as I think I do, I know he won't even try to stop you. He'll understand."

Apparently satisfied, he opened the door. But, at the last moment, Richard hesitated and turned back to face her again. He lifted a hand, as though he was going to touch her but stopped himself. Lois looked back at him, wanting to say something, but knowing that there was nothing she could do that would make a difference or make this any easier on anyone.

Richard gave her a faint, sad smile. "I hope he makes you happy, Lois. But I can't say that I think he will."

Lois swallowed and closed her eyes, feeling his words hit her like a dagger. When she opened them again, he was gone and she was alone once again.

**Gotham, 2008**

After searching several rooms to no avail, she finally hunted down Alfred to get an idea of where Clark might have gone to brood. The butler informed her that Clark was on the roof the manor. He gave her directions and, a few minutes later, she found herself standing a few feet from Clark, gazing at him silently as he looked out over the ledge of the building. The wind was chillier up at this altitude and her thin t-shirts were no defense against the cold. She shivered a bit and wrapped her arms around herself to warm herself up.

"Lois, I'll be down in a minute," Clark said, without bothering to turn around. "You didn't need to come get me."

"How'd you know it was me?" Lois asked, walking over to stand next to him to look at the view he'd been contemplating. This spot on the roof was overlooking the Wayne gardens and the view was beautiful. "I could have been Chloe or Bruce."

Clark glanced down at her. "I heard your heartbeat. Plus, you're kind of noisier than Bruce would ever be. And Chloe would have been talking away a mile a minute even before she got up here. You talk a lot – but not as much as Chloe."

Lois couldn't help but smile at that comparison. "Yeah, I could see that. Chloe does have a tendency to talk a lot. And she mixes her metaphors quite a bit. I wonder why that is?" Lois mused aloud.

Clark glanced at her, but he didn't answer. Lois smiled back and then turned her attention to the gardens. If she squinted, Lois could just barely make out the figures of Bruce and Chloe in the distance. She might have been mistaken, but she had a feeling that a lot more than just botany lessons was taking place.

Lois waited a few beats and then finally broke the silence. "Clark, what's wrong?" Lois decided it was best to just get to the point. She had never been one to beat around the bush. "Chloe tells me that it's not like you to be so…" She paused, searching for the right word, "… so blunt. And I have to say that if you're anything like my Clark, I can agree with that."

Clark winced. "I'm sorry, you're right, I shouldn't have been so rude to you."

Lois waved one hand dismissively. "No, it's not a big deal. It's just… well… if something's bothering you, then you can talk about it, you know?" Lois gazed up at him thoughtfully. "You don't need to be so strong all the time, Clark."

"Hmmm, I know," Clark smiled at her slightly. Then, almost in an off-hand manner, he added, "Lori and I broke up."

"Oh!" Lois blinked in surprise and cleared her throat self consciously. "Is that what you were doing in Metropolis in the morning? Breaking up with Lori?"

"Yeah," Clark replied, apparently trying not to look guilty and completely failing in that respect.

"I'm sorry, Clark," Lois said sincerely, placing her hand on his arm.

"Not as sorry as I am."

"Why do you say that?"

Lois wrapped her arms around herself again. She tried to hide her chattering teeth, but Clark noticed. He immediately pulled his jacket off and wrapped it tightly around her. Lois took a deep breath, soaking in the warmth of the jacket.

Lois smiled up at him and repeated, "So, why do you say that? Do you regret it already?"

"No, it's not that. I'm just… I feel bad that I hurt her. I'm just… I just…." Clark searched for the words that would explain how he felt and he could figure out how to make Lois understand. "After what happened with Lana and Lori, I just can't help but feel that maybe I'm just not meant to be with someone. I've hurt every girl I've ever loved."

Lois frowned. "Are you saying that you think you're not meant to be happy? That you can't have a girlfriend? Just because you broke up with your high school and college girlfriends?"

"Well, yeah." Clark looked down at her solemnly. He looked like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. Dejected and unhappy, full of guilt and sorrow.

Lois studied him for a second and then snorted in derision. "Not to be insensitive or anything, but… um… are you crazy? You break up with a couple of women and suddenly you're destined to be alone for eternity? Man, I've gone out with…" Lois broke off when she saw the odd expression on Clark's face and finished hastily, "…well… the number's not important. The point is that you're _young_, Clark. You've got your whole life ahead of you. Very few people meet their soul mate when they're in high school."

"But what if I have?" Clark responded intently, as he searched the delicate features of the beautiful woman before him. He'd gazed upon that same face so many times, without allowing himself to think those thoughts. And, today, she was all he could think about. Lois Lane. All he could think about was Lois and how his life would never the same when she got back. And how it would be terrible if he ended up hurting her the way he'd hurt every other girl in his life. "What if I have met her, Lois? And she's you? Or, I guess, our world's version of you."

Lois swallowed and said simply, "Then when she gets back, you tell her that. And see what happens." She stuck her hands in the pockets of Clark's jacket and stared up at the man who was the younger version of the man she loved with all her heart. "If she has half a brain, she'll grab you and never let go, Clark."

Clark seemed to consider her words for a second. It was obvious her simple words had an impact on him, because he immediately looked much lighter and happier. With a huge smile, he asked teasingly, "So we're assuming she has half a brain now? Aren't you the same one who got fooled by a pair of tights and glasses?"

"Hey! It was good disguise!" Lois protested, pretending to be outraged. Then she added, with a wicked grin, "In my defense, when he wears those tights, it's not his face I'm focusing on."

Clark eyes widened and even though he blushed, he couldn't help but laugh at that. "I have to say, Lois, I don't know how you're going to get back to your world… but I'm glad I met you." He placed his hand on her shoulder and looked down at her with appreciation. "It's been an experience."

Lois pulled one hand out of the warm depths of the pocket and placed it over his hand. She smiled back appreciatively and nodded. "I'm glad I met you, too. I feel like this is the first time I really met the real Superman – both the Clark Kent version and the suit version."

Lois never heard Clark's response. At that moment, his voice was drowned out by an odd noise and everything suddenly went pitch-black.

"Clark!" Lois yelled out, frightened, as she tried to tighten her grip on Clark's hand. It was as though it had faded away, right under her fingers. Try as she might, she couldn't find his hand or feel anything else around her. She moved forward a bit and lost her balance as the ground shifted below her feet. Lois tried to regain her footing, but ended up falling backwards, instead.

"Uh-oh," Lois whispered, as she felt herself sliding down what seemed to be never ending slide. "This cannot be good."

**Metropolis, 2019 **

Lois had spent the better part of the last hour sitting in the living room staring off into space. While she had known, rationally, that what had just happened was not her fault, she couldn't help but feel guilty. After all, a point would come where the Lois who usually occupied this time-line would come back to reclaim her life and, in place of the perfect world she'd left, the older Lois would find the tattered remains of a broken engagement. Lois glanced down at the diamond ring adorning her left hand and felt even more horrible.

"Lois? Are you okay?" Clark's soft voice interrupted her thoughts.

Startled, Lois turned around and saw him hovering near the open balcony doors. He was dressed up in the spandex Superman costume and looked very concerned.

"Smallville! Where have you been? It's been all day!" Lois demanded crossly. She tried to hide her anger and frustration at his absence, but she failed. "In case you hadn't noticed, I'm still here and we need to work towards getting me back."

Clark looked fatigued as he landed on the balcony and entered the room slowly. "I heard a fire in Grainsville – that's why I left you with Bruce. After that, there was an earthquake in China… a couple of other things happened and I had to head up an emergency meeting of the Justice League." Clark gave her slight smile. "You know, the usual."

"Oh, of course," Lois responded in a small voice. She blinked away the sudden tears came into her eyes. "I forgot – you have that Superman thing going on…." Lois's voice trailed off as her anger completely faded. How silly on her part to think that Clark had nothing better to than sitting around and baby-sitting her. She forced a smile and managed to get out an upbeat, "Sorry… should have known." Lois nodded towards the sofa. "Why don't you sit down?"

Clark ignored her request and stared at her with a concerned frown. His arms were folded across his chest and he looked huge and formidable. "What wrong? Why do you look like you're going to cry? Did something happen?"

"Weeelll…" Lois pretended to think for a minute. "I managed to break up with a guy I'm not even engaged to… so, all in all, it was kind of an interesting day. It's a first for me, now that I think of it. Usually, I'm actually going _out_ with the guy who dumps me. It's nice to know I've moved on to getting dumped by guys I'm not even in a relationship with… that's got to be a step up, right?" Lois sniffed and gave Clark a sheepish grin.

Clark winced and finally sat down on the chair Lois had indicated. He looked up at her with a serious expression. "You broke up with Richard? Isn't that kind of wrong? Since you're not really with him?"

"No,_ he_ broke up with _me_," Lois shot back irritably. "I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't let me get a word in edgewise – oh, and he knows your Superman, by the way," Lois added in, not feeling any desire to soften the blow.

Clark sighed and buried his face in his hands. After a moment, he glanced up at her grimly. "Yeah, I had a feeling that was going to happen. Richard has been suspicious for awhile." He shrugged and shook his head. "I can't say I'm not relieved. With the whole Jason situation, it's probably for the best that he knows. Richard can help me protect Jason better. I know how much Richard loves him."

"Yeah, he told me that he had every intention of staying in Jason's life."

"He's an honorable man, I wouldn't expect any less from him," Clark responded evenly. He stood up and began pacing the room restlessly. "When it comes down to it, he actually has more rights to Jason than I ever will."

"Why do you say that? Because you missed the first few years of his life?" Lois asked curiously. "Because that's not what really determines if you're a good father, you know." Lois smiled faintly and added, "Trust me – my father rarely missed any moment of my life and he was one of the worst fathers a girl could have."

Clark looked at her for a moment. "You didn't get along with your father? Lois has mentioned him a few times, but I don't know much about him. She doesn't speak to him."

"Well, I think Lois has the right idea," Lois muttered softly under her breath. In a louder voice, she added, "I can't blame her if the General is anything like his counterpart back in my world."

Clark stopped pacing, coming to a halt a few feet from where Lois stood. "Why is he so terrible?"

"It's not that he's terrible…." Lois tried to find the words to explain what Sam Lane was like without sounding like a whiny brat. "He provided everything a father needs to provide for his children. A roof over our heads, a meal when we were hungry, enough money for us to get any education we wanted…."

Clark looked confused. "So what did he leave out?"

"Love," Lois answered simply. She shrugged and avoided Clark's intense gaze. "When it came down to it, he couldn't love us. He was incapable of it."

"Come on, I'm sure that's not the case," Clark responded, appalled that a person could believe that of their own parent. "Maybe he just didn't know how to show it."

Lois smiled a bit sadly. "That's what I used to think while I was growing up, too. But the fact is – I had known him when he could show love. Back when my mother was alive." Lois paused and shook her head, clearing her throat a bit. "I always thought that when my mother died, all of his love was buried right along with her. You see, he never wanted kids. I overheard him and my mother fighting about it once – before she died. He was mad at her," Lois explained, as she wrapped her arms around herself for warmth. "He was mad at her because she was going to leave him – leave him with us. With Lucy and me."

"He was probably just scared, Lois. I remember that when my father passed away, my mother had no idea how she was going to handle everything. Grief and fear co-exist a lot of the time, especially when a loved one dies."

"Yeah, I know," Lois blinked. "But that doesn't make how my dad treated us any better, Smallville. He was still a terrible father. He wasn't there when my sister would cry herself to sleep. I was the one who let her crawl into my bed every night. He wasn't there when I kept getting into trouble at school, hoping he'd notice me and actually talk to me for a change. He was only there to yell or threaten. Never to love or understand." Lois contemplated the man standing before her. "But you, Clark – you'll never do that. That little boy upstairs… I know you – you'd die for him. And that's why it doesn't matter that you missed the first few years of his life. All that matters is that you love him and he'll know that for the rest of his life."

Clark was silent. He was struggling, she knew, to accept everything she said to him even though he felt that he didn't deserve it.

"I hope you're right, Lois."

"I am," Lois responded breezily, with a faint flick of her hand, "I'm always right."

"Can I ask you something?"

Lois let out a resigned sigh. "Looks like you're going to, anyway," She had a feeling she knew exactly what he was going to say.

"Why did you tell me that you weren't in love with Clark?"

And she was right, again. "Does it matter, Clark?"

"Well, yes. You lied to me." Clark didn't look as angry as he had before. If anything he just looked a bit offended.

"Well, I didn't lie exactly," Lois responded cautiously, going for the option that made the most sense. "I just didn't tell you the whole truth."

"You lied," Clark responded flatly. "And I have to say, my Lois has many bad qualities, but she's honest almost to a fault."

"Okay, so maybe I didn't feel like sharing my personal feelings. So sue me."

"What was the purpose? You knew it would hurt me. I told you all about my feelings for Lois and you made it seem like you didn't care at all."

"Why would it hurt you? You're not my Clark. He's not like you - he doesn't even care if I like him."

"How do you know that?"

"Because… because I just do!" Lois threw her hands up in the air in frustration. "He's with someone else, Clark! He's known me since we were teenagers and he's always chosen someone else. I was right there in front of him when he was obsessed with Lana. Then, he fell into a brief marriage with Alicia and I was there the day she died – he was crushed for two seconds and then back to the Lana obsession again. Fast forward a few years and when he could finally realize that I was there all along, he fell in love with my roommate!!"

Unexpectedly, Clark began to laugh.

Lois paused mid-rant and bit her lip uncertainly. "What's so funny?"

Clark shook his head. "Nothing… it shouldn't be funny, I know. But I can't help but think it's hilarious."

"What is?"

"It's like… you're me and I'm you," Clark explained.

"Okay, like things aren't complicated enough with us trying to tell apart the two different Loises? Now you add things like that in and expect me to follow along?"

"What I mean is – I've been in front of my Lois all along and I've watched her fall for every guy except me. Well, she falls for Superman, but he's not really me. Not the me I want her to fall for, I mean."

"Yeah, of course. That makes perfect sense."

"The fact is, I'm not that guy," Clark finally said. "I see her with someone else, even if it's just Superman, and I just let it happen. I can't make her break things off with Richard to be with me. I'm not the sort of guy that can make her see me that way – I want her to break up with Richard on her own."

"Yeah, and I'm not that girl." Lois nodded in agreement. "I never want to be the girl who breaks up the couple." Lois shuddered at the thought. "Do you know how many women fall for Clark? Every girl that gets within a ten foot radius of the man falls madly in lust with him. Why should I get in line and be the one who makes him realize that Lana is bad for him or that Lori is clearly too annoyingly perfect to be a decent girlfriend?"

Clark and Lois both stared at each other in perfect understanding for a few seconds.

Lois added, "You know, they never fight. Never."

"Who?"

"Lori and Clark. I mean, I fight with Clark all the time and I've never seen Lori raise her voice even once!"

"Yeah, Lori and I didn't fight all that much, either," Clark nodded. "I think it was just because she could read minds. She'd win every argument even before the debate started, so there was no fun in it."

"WHAT?" Lois yelped and her mouth dropped open in shock. "Lori can read minds??"

"Yeah, all mermaids can," Clark said. "Wait, you didn't know?" He looked very much like he regretted letting it slip.

"Wow… I had no idea." Suddenly everything started making sense. It made sense that Clark was with someone who had special powers like him. A thought suddenly struck her. "But Lori hates going to the beach."

"Because salt water makes her convert back to a mermaid," Clark explained. She must have still looked a bit confused, because he expanded a bit. "Historically, the human population has been known to be quite prejudice against mermaids, so – about a thousand years ago – the Merpeople decided to keep their identity a secret from the Landpeople. If she went to the beach, chances are quite high that her tail would show and she'd end up revealing herself to all the humans there. And she's not allowed to do that."

"So why is she in college at Met. U.?" Lois asked, starting to get totally confused. "Why hang out with Landpeople then – why not just stay in the sea?"

"Once a merperson become "of age" —which is about one hundred years their time and about twenty years our time – they are given the opportunity to live on land for two years in human time. During these two years, they're supposed to live like humans and feel what's like to be a land-dwelling person. After the two years are up, they have a choice: either go back to the sea and live as a merperson for the rest of their existence or they can choose to become human, instead," Clark paused and added quietly, "The cost is high – they can never dwell in the sea again and a lot of the merpeople will disown you and you may never see your family again."

Lois felt a bit of sympathy for her roommate. Talk about a difficult decision. "What about Lori's family?"

Clark took a deep breath and shrugged. "Lori's situation was different. Her family is royalty. Her father is one of the Kings of the Sea. Since her destiny is to help rule her kingdom, it was kind of expected that she'd choose to go back to her people."

"Did she?" Lois asked curiously.

"Yes, she did. I proposed to her and she refused because she knew, in her heart, that she was meant to rule her people and I was meant to help humans. According to her, we were not destined to be."

Lois mulled that over for a few seconds. "So, what if she'd decided to stay? Would you two have gotten married?"

"Yes, probably. I loved her a lot."

"I see."

"But let me tell you something, Lois. If I had met Lois Lane before I met Lori, I would never have looked at Lori twice." Clark smiled slightly. "In fact, if I met Lois while I was actually with Lori, it would have tested even my morality. I'm glad that I didn't have that choice to make. It must not be easy for your Clark."

Lois shook her head sadly. "That's sweet, but you don't know that. My Clark is very different than you."

"Not so different, I'm sure," Clark gave her a soft, almost tender, look. He reached out and rested his hand on her shoulder. "You're a very special person, Lois. And I'm not just talking about my Lois Lane. I'm talking about you – the young woman I've gotten to know over the past few days. You're smart, you're loyal and you're clearly a very ethical person. Any man – whether from this planet or not – would be lucky to be loved by someone like you. Never forget that."

Lois placed her hand on his and gazed up at him with silent gratitude in her eyes. "Well, right back at you. If this Lois doesn't get her act together soon, I'll have to come back to kick her butt!" Lois quipped with a slight laugh.

Lois never heard Clark's response. At that moment, his voice was drowned out by an odd noise and everything suddenly went pitch-black.

"Clark!" Lois yelled out, frightened, as she tried to tighten her grip on Clark's hand. It was as though it had faded away, right under her fingers. Try as she might, she couldn't find his hand or feel anything else around her. She moved forward a bit and lost her balance as the ground shifted below her feet. Lois tried to regain her footing, but ended up falling backwards, instead.

"Uh-oh," Lois whispered, as she felt herself sliding down a never ending slide. "This cannot be good."

**2008 and 2019**

Her heart racing, Lois tried desperately to stop the endless slide down what appeared to be cold, metal shaft. Her voice echoed through the chamber tube, but stopped yelling after several minutes, knowing that she was alone.

After what seemed like an eternity (but was probably only about five minutes, if she was honest with herself) she felt the tube widen and she, literally, saw light at the end of the tunnel. The long tube ended abruptly and, as she skidded to a halt, she noticed she was dropping down an open shaft that led straight to a white, tiled floor. She raised her arms to cover her face and closed her eyes, grimacing as she prepared to hit the hard surface.

When she landed, however, she was surprised to feel no pain. Instead, it felt like she'd been dumped – quite unceremoniously – onto a bed of soft pillows. Lois took a few seconds to compose herself, breathing quickly and trying to get her heart beat down to normal.

After a moment, she calmed down and cracked one eye open cautiously. It some coordination, but Lois managed to pull herself to standing position and she glanced around the room curiously. To say it was huge was an understatement. There appeared to be no walls in the room at all. She glanced up, looking for the opening of the tunnel she had just dropped from, but she couldn't see it – in fact, it looked there was no roof at all. Lois slowly did a 360 degree turn and all she could see for miles out was white, empty, space.

"Hello!" Lois called out, finally. "Anybody there?"

No one answered. At this stage, though, Lois had to admit that she didn't know whether to be relieved or frightened at the lack of people around. After much internal debate, she decided that standing around in one place wasn't going to get her anywhere. So she closed her eyes, held one arm out and spun in a circle. When she stopped, her opened her eyes again and looked down at the direction that her finger was pointing towards. "Due… whatever direction this is… it is," Lois muttered to herself.

Lois set forth, keeping an eye out for any anomalies as she went. Anything out of the norm – but the whiteness was unrelenting. Just when she thought she couldn't take it anymore, she squinted. She could see a tiny speck in the distance. She sped up, trying to close the distance between them, so she could figure out what it was. As she got closer, she saw that the tiny speck was a person and that the other person was also running towards her, as well.

When Lois was close enough to recognize that it was a woman, she slowed down. She saw that the other woman had also slowed down.

As they both approached each other, a bit warily, Lois felt herself stiffen in shock. Her eyes widened as she searched the familiar face of the other girl. It was like looking into a mirror.

"Oh my God," Lois whispered, as she stared in fascination at the younger woman in front of her. "Are you…?"

"Hi," the younger Lois responded, almost brightly, as though this sort of thing happened to her every day. "I'm Lois. Lois Lane."

Lois swallowed. "Well, that's a problem. Because so am I."


End file.
